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Who won national championship game? Ohio State defeats Notre Dame: scores, highlights, more
Ohio State is the final team standing in college football.
Behind an all-around dominant performance from both sides of the ball, No. 8 Ohio State rolled No. 7 Notre Dame 34-23 Monday night in the College Football Playoff championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
With their victory Monday, the Buckeyes added to their championship pedigree and history by securing their ninth claimed national championship in program history and the first under Ryan Day.
REQUIRED READING: Ohio State vs. Notre Dame live updates: National championship game score, highlights
Quinshon Judkins' 1-yard rushing touchdown to open the second half served to be more impactful than it looked to be when it happened, as Notre Dame attempted a late surge comeback. The Buckeyes running back's score also set the hat trick for him, as he had a rushing and receiving touchdown apiece in the first half.
It didn't take long for the Buckeyes to jump out to a commanding lead, as Will Howard and Co. cashed in each of their first three drives of the evening for a touchdown. Per SportsCenter on X (formerly Twitter), Ohio State became the first team since Alabama in the 2013 BCS national championship game to score a touchdown on each of its first three drives in a national championship game.
Howard was stellar for much of the night for the Buckeyes, as he completed 81% of his passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns in his final collegiate game. The 6-foot-4 quarterback began the night completing each of his first 13 passes, which set a new CFP record for most consecutive passes in the championship game.
Here's what you need to know on who won the Ohio State-Notre Dame CFP national championship game Monday, including a look at the boxscore, stats and highlights:
Who won Ohio State-Notre Dame national championship game today?
Ohio State came out on top in the 2025 College Football Playoff national championship game on Monday with a 34-23 win over Notre Dame at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
With the win, the Buckeyes snapped a decade long national championship drought and claimed their ninth national championship title in program history.
It also capped off an impressive four-game stretch for Ryan Day's squad since their upset to Big Ten rival Michigan in Week 14 of the regular season. Since that loss to the Wolverines on Nov. 30, the Buckeyes have outscored their opponents 145-75 in four CFP games, including Monday's national championship.
To win the national championship, Ohio State first beat No. 9 Tennessee at home in the first round of the College Football Playoff before getting vengeance for a regular season loss over No. 1 Oregon in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal. Before defeating No. 7 Notre Dame on Monday, the Buckeyes then defeated No. 5 Texas in the CFP Cotton Bowl semifinal thanks to a 83-yard scoop-and-score touchdown from defensive lineman Jack Sawyer.
Ohio State-Notre Dame national championship game score
TEAMS | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | F |
Ohio State | 0 | 21 | 10 | 3 | 34 |
Notre Dame | 7 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 23 |
Ohio State-Notre Dame stats
Here's a breakdown of each team's stats from Monday's national championship game:
Total offense yards: Ohio State 445, Notre Dame 308
Total rushing yards: Ohio State 214, Notre Dame 53
Total passing yards: Notre Dame 255, Ohio State 231
First downs: Ohio State 22, Notre Dame 19
Third down conversions: Ohio State 17-21, Notre Dame 22-32
Turnovers: Ohio State 1, Notre Dame 0
Penalties: Ohio State 6-58, Notre Dame 3-30
Ohio State-Notre Dame highlights
Here's a look at all the touchdowns from Monday's national championship game:
18 plays. Two fourth-down conversions. Nearly 10 minutes.
WHAT AN OPENING DRIVE FOR NOTRE DAME‼️ pic.twitter.com/WlQjI05xJD— ESPN (@espn) January 21, 2025
JEREMIAH SMITH CONTINUES HIS STELLAR FRESHMAN SEASON 🔥
Ohio State responds with a touchdown of its own 😤 pic.twitter.com/FOEr4rNIF9— ESPN (@espn) January 21, 2025
JEREMIAH SMITH CONTINUES HIS STELLAR FRESHMAN SEASON 🔥
Ohio State responds with a touchdown of its own 😤 pic.twitter.com/FOEr4rNIF9— ESPN (@espn) January 21, 2025
QUINSHON JUDKINS WITH A GROWN MAN TOUCHDOWN 😮💨
STIFF ARM 💪 pic.twitter.com/KGqtbCPRZ2— ESPN (@espn) January 21, 2025
SO NICE, HE HAD TO DO IT TWICE 😮💨
Quinshon Judkins' second TD of the game gives the Buckeyes a 14-point lead 😤 pic.twitter.com/0KuYcrft6o— ESPN (@espn) January 21, 2025
THE HAT TRICK FOR QUINSHON JUDKINS 🔥 pic.twitter.com/LNZRnbA7w3
— ESPN (@espn) January 21, 2025
Notre Dame makes it a two-possession game 👀
The 34-yard touchdown and 2-PT conversion has the Fighting Irish back in the game 😤 pic.twitter.com/WO5Pr4Zp7r— ESPN (@espn) January 21, 2025
LEONARD TO GREATHOUSE FOR A BEAUTIFUL TOUCHDOWN AND THEN THE 2-PT CONVERSION 😱
NOTRE DAME ISN'T GOING DOWN WITHOUT A FIGHT‼️
📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/Xg2kM6ku2L— ESPN (@espn) January 21, 2025
Updated CFP national champions
With Ohio State's win over Notre Dame on Monday, here's an updated look at all College Football Playoff champions dating back to the start of the CFP era in 2014:
2014: Ohio State
2015: Alabama
2016: Clemson
2017: Alabama
2018: Clemson
2029: LSU
2020: Alabama
2021: Georgia
2022: Georgia
2023: Michigan
2024: Ohio State
Click here to view all past college football national champions dating back to 1869.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ohio State-Notre Dame score: Who won national championship game?