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LGHL Uncut: Howard, Simon say Day is ‘best coach’ they will ever have

Uncut: Howard, Simon say Day is ‘best coach’ they will ever have
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Screenshot_2025_01_21_at_10.43.57_PM.0.png


Apparently, following the national title win, Will Howard believes that “sleep is for the weak.”

Throughout the year, the Land-Grant Podcast Network will be bringing you uncut audio primarily from Ohio State press conferences, but also from individual interview sessions.

Listen to the episode and subscribe:


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On today’s episode of “Land-Grant Uncut,” we are bringing you unedited audio from the Tuesday, Jan. 21 press conference with the national champion Ohio State Buckeyes before they departed Atlanta to return home to Columbus. At the podium were OSU head football coach Ryan Day, offensive player of the game quarterback Will Howard, and defensive player of the game linebacker Cody Simon.

Despite Howard revealing that “sleep is for the weak,” the trio discussed the national title win having gotten a few hours of distance between themselves and the final whistle. Both of the players heaped praise on Day as both a coach and a human and said they never doubted that he was the right person to lead this team.

Day deflected any questions about next season, either in terms of his roster or coaching staff, choosing instead to embrace the joy and celebration following his first national title.

You can watch the full press conference on the College Football Playoff’s official YouTube page:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkSfC1uY_sQ


Contact Matt Tamanini
Online Profile: https://authory.com/MattTamanini

Music by: www.bensound.com​


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LGHL Grumpy Old Buckeye: How do you nitpick a national championship?

Grumpy Old Buckeye: How do you nitpick a national championship?
Michael Citro via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

NCAA Football: CFP National Championship-Ohio State at Notre Dame

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Is it possible to find fault with a team that just won the whole darn thing?

Ohio State has done it. The team that couldn’t beat a middling 2024 Michigan squad put together four games of brilliance to win the school’s ninth national championship and capture the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff.

The trophy can go in the case next to the Buckeyes’ title in the first-ever four-team College Football Playoff. They may only win a title once every decade these days, but at least the Buckeyes are trend setters.

This is where I would normally tell you about all the things that had me looking to fight the Irish, but if Ryan Day can flip the script and change the narrative, so can I. Rather than your usual Grumpy Old Buckeye, you’re getting the Happy Old Buckeye this week.

With that said, here are the things that gave me a smile the size of Lake Erie Monday night when Ohio State squared off against Notre Dame.

An Exclusive Club​


Several Buckeyes entered Monday night shy of major milestones, and they all reached them, as once again Ohio State’s offense was the only thing that could stop Ohio State’s offense.

Running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson entered the game each needing to add to their total to reach 1,000 yards rushing. Emeka Egbuka needed a good night to reach 1,000 yards receiving. Will Howard was just shy of 4,000 passing yards.

All of them hit their targets, and as far as I can tell, Ohio State became the first team with two running backs to surpass 1,000 yards rushing and score 10 or more touchdowns while also having two wide receivers surpass 1,000 yards receiving and score 10 or more touchdowns in the same season (Jeremiah Smith entered the game already over 1,000/10).

The 2018 Oklahoma Sooners had two players do each of those things, but one of them was quarterback Kyler Murray, not a running back. Murray also threw for 4,000+ yards. So, depending on how you want to look at it, Ohio State did something either no one else has done (vis-a-vis having it be two running backs in that 1,000-yard rushing group) or only one other team has done (counting all rushers).

It’s true that the Sooners did it in 14 games as opposed to 16, but it’s still an impressive feat and an elite club to be in, and maybe someone with more time on their hands than me can figure out how many snaps all those players played.

Speaking of Howard​


There was a lot of talk online in public and among national and local sports pundits when Will Howard transferred to Ohio State. I can anecdotally recall a lot of people who didn’t think much of the signing but at least felt there was an alternative to Devin Brown. Some people were already willing to roll the dice with freshman Julian Sayin.

Howard proved the doubters wrong, although he was still underrated just a few days ago. More than one national media member placed him dead last when ranking the quarterbacks in the College Football Playoff. That’s a good way of telling people you don’t watch Howard play every week.

The Kansas State transfer quietly turned in the kind of season that would normally garner Heisman Trophy discussion. He finished so strong in the national championship game that he broke the school record for completion percentage set by a guy named C.J. Stroud.

Howard completed 73% of his 423 attempts (that’s 309 completions) for 4,010 yards and 35 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. His big night against the Irish helped him eclipse 200 rushing yards as well, as he finished the season with 226 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. Considering how seldom designed quarterback runs were called in the first half of the season, that’s solid.

Howard wasn’t as good as some people said he would be... He was much better.

Strong Finish for the Freshman​


Notre Dame was known for its pass defense this season, but I figured after being held in check against Texas that we’d hear a lot more out of Jeremiah Smith against the Irish.

Smith was a factor early and late in the game, scoring Ohio State’s first touchdown on a gorgeous brand new play in the playbook that looked like something Alabama beat the Buckeyes with using DeVonta Smith a few years back. So maybe it’s a Smith thing. JJ faked a jet sweep motion and then exploded into space to the right, taking a short pass from Howard and almost walking in for an uncontested score.

He might have scored a second touchdown on a third down call that Howard misfired on — one of Will’s few errant throws on the night.

Smith then sealed the win by roasting single coverage to set up the field goal to put the game to bed. Five receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown against the Irish pass defense is a good night. Smith finished the season with impressive freshman numbers, breaking several school records. He caught 76 passes for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Hat Trick for Q​


While I didn’t love Judkins getting run down from behind — something that wasn’t often seen this year — it was nice to see Chip Kelly let him finish the job by punching in his third touchdown of the night. His first was a terrific individual effort with a stiffarm that dismissed an Irish defender and a last-ditch lunge that got him into the end zone just before his knee touched down.

In between was a nice catch in the end zone after Howard’s scramble had distracted his defender. Judkins drifted to empty space and made himself available for an easy touchdown pass for his quarterback. With 100 yards rushing and an average of 9.0 per carry, plus 21 more yards and a touchdown receiving, it was a big night for Q.


That’s what had me explaining to strangers that I had 99 problems but a natty wasn’t one of them when the Buckeyes beat the Irish for the national championship. I could go on and discuss Jayden Fielding’s clutch kick to put the game out of reach, the defensive line’s big night stopping the run (after the first drive), and the solid night by Cody Simon, but what stuck out to you?

Of course, there were plenty of dark clouds around the above silver linings, because there is no such thing as a perfect game.

I could discuss the unnecessary Josh Fryar holding penalty (unnecessary because TreVeyon Henderson was there to help him with the block) that started to turn momentum the wrong direction in the second half. I could gripe about the Egbuka fumble that seemed likely to happen for a good 10 yards before it finally did, allowing Notre Dame to have some late hope.

I could once again fill this space with a diatribe about Davison Igbinosun’s maddening propensity for dumb and unnecessary penalties — this time on a third-and-19 play that would have been cleaned up by Lathan Ransom. I could talk about Jordan Hancock’s inability to even interfere with a receiver well enough to prevent a touchdown catch. Or I could bemoan some of the conservative play calling late.

I could even crab about the opening Notre Dame drive, which seemed more of a statement about physicality than anything Michigan did in November.

Instead, all I can say is that the season was a successful one for Ohio State. In years to come, it’ll become difficult to remember the two losses the Buckeyes suffered along the way. What I’ll remember most is the effort by the guys who could have been playing NFL football leading the team to a championship trophy.

Each year, only one team’s fans get to end the season completely happy with the outcome. This year, Buckeye fans, it’s you.

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Google 'There was no other option': The story of Ohio State's title run from preseason hype to crushing defeat to playoff champion - ESPN

'There was no other option': The story of Ohio State's title run from preseason hype to crushing defeat to playoff champion - ESPN
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".

'There was no other option': The story of Ohio State's title run from preseason hype to crushing defeat to playoff champion ESPN

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LGHL Ohio State men come back from 16 down to stun No. 11 Purdue in Mackey, 73-70

Ohio State men come back from 16 down to stun No. 11 Purdue in Mackey, 73-70
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

NCAA Basketball: Ohio State at Purdue

Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

The Buckeyes stunned Purdue in the second half with a 17-2 run and snapped Purdue’s 26-game home winning streak.

So, what happens when you lose a “must-win” game? In the case of the Ohio State men’s basketball team (11-8, 3-5), it makes the very next game — one that nearly everyone expected you to lose — a “must-win” as well.

Ohio State’s one-point, overtime loss to Indiana on Friday night was crucial for the Buckeyes to win, knowing full well that their next game was in West Lafayette against the Purdue Boilermakers (15-5, 7-2). By happenstance, Purdue came into Tuesday night’s game having won their last 26 home games. The Buckeyes had only won in Mackey Arena once in the last decade.

That was until Tuesday, when Ohio State stunned the No. 11 Boilermakers, 73-70, to pick up their third ranked win of the season and snap a three-game losing streak. The Buckeyes waltzed into Mackey Arena for the first Purdue home game with students since before Christmas and stunned the home fans behind a combined 38 points from Devin Royal and Micah Parrish.

Trey Kaufmann-Renn, who came into this game leading Purdue with 17.9 points per game, scored six before the first media timeout, as Purdue built an early 10-5 lead. Two of those baskets were assisted by Braden Smith, the Big Ten’s assist leader. The Buckeyes weren’t switching cleanly enough off of Kaufmann-Renn, and the 6-foot-9 junior was getting just enough space to slither in for some high-percentage looks.

The Boilermakers extended that lead over the next eight minutes or so. After Devin Royal was called for a travel at one end, CJ Cox knocked down a mid-range jumper to push Purdue ahead, 25-11.

Purdue seemingly scored after every Ohio State turnover or goof-up, making it feel like there was no room at all for error in front of a sold-out, raucous Mackey Arena crowd. The Buckeyes went for a long stretch where they only scored one basket in a seven-minute stretch, falling behind by double digits and eventually heading to the locker room trailing the 11th-ranked Boilermakers, 41-28.

Kaufman-Renn had 14 points and six rebounds in the first half for Purdue. Devin Royal had 11 for Ohio State, in the opening 20 minutes, and was the only Buckeye to score more than five points during the first half.

After getting completely shut out of the offense in the first half, Bruce Thornton scored a quick five points to start the second half, cutting Purdue’s lead to eight points. After a Purdue turnover, Bradshaw scored over a triple team to cut the deficit even further. Just two minutes into the second half, Ohio State was back within six points, 41-35. Aaron Bradshaw scored twice in the opening minutes of the second half, and by the first media timeout of the second half Ohio State had come all the way back to make it 43-39.


BUCKEYES TAKE THE LEAD ‼️‼️ @OhioStateHoops #B1GMBBall on Peacock pic.twitter.com/y2GvkkRcnu

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) January 22, 2025​
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The Buckeyes kept at it, blasting off in a big way and going on a 17-2 run to take a two-point lead against Purdue with 14 minutes left in the game. Thornton was the initiator of the offense, but it was guys like Bradshaw and Micah Parrish who did the heavy lifting as Ohio State turned a runaway blowout into a very tight basketball game.

After Fletcher Loyer scored six straight points for Purdue, Jake Diebler called a timeout to settle his team and the crowd. Purdue had gone back ahead 54-53 with just over eight minutes to play, but the Buckeyes were once again in a one-possession game — something they’ve been very familiar with lately.


MACKEY IS ROCKIN' @BoilerBall #B1GMBBall on Peacock pic.twitter.com/2AJGcXEXak

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) January 22, 2025​
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Ohio State turned the ball over on three consecutive possessions, and Purdue scored on after all three of them to re-take a 59-53 lead with 7:22 remaining in the game.

When it looked like maybe Purdue had thrown the final punch and Ohio State would just fade away, the Buckeyes responded with a 9-0 run, five of which came from Parrish. After the fifth-year senior knocked down an NBA-range three to make it 62-59, Matt Painter was forced to call a timeout to gather the troops.

Parrish remained on fire for two more minutes, going on an 8-0 run all by himself to help put Ohio State ahead, 68-59, with 2:42 remaining.


JOHN MOBLEY @OhioStateHoops #B1GMBBall on Peacock pic.twitter.com/JOKTmvKI7A

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) January 22, 2025​
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Purdue answered with eight straight points to close it to 68-67 with 55 seconds remaining. John Mobley Jr. answered with a long two to put Ohio State up three, 70-67, with 17 seconds remaining. Two Purdue free throws cut it to 70-69, but Devin Royal knocked down a pair of free throws of his own to make it a three-point game again, 72-69.

The Buckeyes played the foul game once they got up three, and fortunately Royal was able to knock down three out of four in the final three seconds to clinch it, 73-70.

If you don’t have a Peacock subscription — or were still too hungover from national championship celebrations and forgot the men’s basketball team played tonight — here are a few key stats and numbers that help break down Ohio State’s 73-70 upset of the 11th-ranked Boilermakers in West Lafayette.

3 - Bruce Thornton points in the first half ​


Thornton, a three-year captain for the Buckeyes, had scored in double-digits in each of the last eight games but was also completely erased during Ohio State’s losses to Auburn and Maryland, scoring three and nine points in those games.

That was the story Tuesday night against Purdue, as he was matched up with Big Ten POY frontrunner Braden Smith. Thornton wasn’t able to get any daylight heading to the rim at all, and the only shots he was able to take were from three-point range, where he went 1-for-3. His only make came right at the halftime buzzer that cut Purdue’s lead to 13, 41-28.

4 - Offensive rebounds for Trey Kaufman-Renn in the first half ​


For the second straight game, Ohio State was tortured by an opposing big on the glass. On Tuesday night it was Purdue junior Trey Kaufman-Renn, who scored 14 points and had six rebounds in the first half. He also had all four of his team’s offensive rebounds, which by happenstance was one more than Ohio State’s entire team had in the first half.

This comes four days after Indiana center Oumar Ballo grabbed eight offensive rebounds against the Buckeyes.

3 - assists in the first half​


Ohio State entered Tuesday’s game with the lowest assist rate in the Big Ten conference, assisting on just 48.7% of their made baskets. In the first half, Ohio State recorded an assist on just three of the team’s eight made baskets. Two of those assists came from backup guard Ques Glover, and zero of them were from Thornton.

Purdue, on the other hand, assisted on 10 of their 15 made baskets. Braden Smith had five first-half assists despite only playing 10 minutes in the opening frame.

60% - Purdue’s shooting percentage in the first half ​


More often than not, when Purdue shot the ball Tuesday night, it was going to drop. Kaufman-Renn was the biggest force behind this uber-efficient first half, hitting six of his eight shots en route to 14 first-half points. Purdue’s freshman guard CJ Cox was a perfect 4-for-4 shooting in the first half as well, totaling nine points.

7 - Consecutive points scored by Ohio State to open the second half ​


After falling behind by 13 at halftime, the Buckeyes came out scorching hot in the second half to take the lead on the 11th-ranked Boilers. Thornton knocked down a three-pointer and then was fouled going to the basket, hitting both free throws. A Bradshaw basket followed, making it 41-35 Purdue.

Ohio State used those seven points as part of a larger 17-2 run to start the second half, taking a 45-43 lead on the home team six minutes into the second half.

6 - Consecutive points scored by Fletcher Loyer to give Purdue the lead back ​


After Sean Stewart knocked down his first career three-pointer to give Ohio State a 51-48 lead, Loyer went on a 6-2 run all on his own to put the Boilermakers back up, 54-53. Ohio State started to slow down Kaufman-Renn, but when they did that, the Purdue guards started to get it going.

3 - Ohio State turnovers in just over a minute ​


After re-taking the lead, 53-50 with 9:50 remaining in the game, Ohio State proceeded to turn the ball over on three consecutive possessions. On all three possessions, Purdue scored. In less than two minutes, the Boilermakers turned the tables, taking a 59-53 lead and making the Buckeyes once again pay for any mistakes they made inside a deafening Mackey Arena.

8 - straight points for Micah Parrish ​


After the brutal stretch where Ohio State turned it over 48 times and Purdue took the lead, the Buckeyes went on an improbable 15-0 run to go back ahead, 68-59. The rally was spearheaded by Parrish, who at one point scored eight straight points and 11 of 13 for the Buckeyes.

What’s next?​


Ohio State (11-8, 3-5) has five days off before welcoming the Iowa Hawkeyes (12-6, 3-4) to Columbus Monday night. With the result of their Tuesday night game against Minnesota pending, the Hawkeyes are currently riding a two-game losing streak after being swept on the West Coast by USC and UCLA. The Trojans and Bruins combined to score 193 points in those two Iowa losses, and the Hawkeyes defense is now rated No. 158 in the nation, according to KenPom.

Ohio State’s game against Iowa will kick off at 8 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on FS1.

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Google Ohio State vs. Notre Dame score: Live national championship game updates, College Football Playoff coverage - CBS Sports

Ohio State vs. Notre Dame score: Live national championship game updates, College Football Playoff coverage - CBS Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".

Ohio State vs. Notre Dame score: Live national championship game updates, College Football Playoff coverage CBS Sports

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LGHL Power Two Podcast: The Ohio State Buckeyes are the 2024 College Football Playoff National Champions

Power Two Podcast: The Ohio State Buckeyes are the 2024 College Football Playoff National Champions
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

2025 CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T- Ohio State v Notre Dame

Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images

Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes survived a late rally to hold off Notre Dame in the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship.

Welcome to a new episode of Land-Grant Podcast Network’s Power Two Podcast. On this show, we talk about Big Ten and SEC football…and everyone else. This show is for the die-hard fans and the casual college football fans.

After every week of action, we will catch you up on all the major matchups of the previous weekend and look ahead at the games, storylines, and players you should be paying attention to for the next week.

My name is Jordan Williams, and I am joined by my co-host DaNaysia Jones. Lock in as we run a power sweep through the college football landscape.


Ohio State is the 2024 National Champion. DJ and Jordan give their authentic, real-time reactions to the College Football Playoff National Championship game. Since Jordan is an Ohio State fan, he is over the moon about it. There were so many shoutouts for the coaches, the players and the sheer resilience of both teams.

There was a discussion about the fandom’s potential effect on the Ohio State team and culture. Jordan truly believes there was a marked effect that pushed the team to continue fighting until the end. DJ shared how impressed she was with the comeback that Notre Dame attempted to put together. The play-calling on both sides was absolutely amazing. The teams were fighting as hard as they could, and this wasn’t an easy win for Ohio State by any means.

This episode is mostly Jordan and DJ chatting about their favorite moments in the game and what they saw from both sides. DJ shared some important stats from the explosive Buckeyes offense. And all the while, Jordan couldn’t stop reminding us all that the Ohio Buckeyes are the National Champions!


If you like the show, please share it with friends and family and leave a five-star review. If you want to keep up with the show, subscribe to the Land-Grant Podcast Network Feed where new episodes drop every Monday.

You can also find Jordan’s article ‘B1G Thoughts’ on Land-Grant Holy Land.

Follow the show on YouTube: @GetDefensiveSportsNetwork

Follow the podcast on Instagram: @PowerTwoPodcast

Connect with us on Twitter: Jordan: @JordanW330 and DJ:@dj_danaysia

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LGHL Visiting Locker Room: Talking Terps with Testudo Times

Visiting Locker Room: Talking Terps with Testudo Times
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Minnesota v Maryland

Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images

Injuries are hitting Maryland, but still feature a transfer star in Kaylene Smikle.

When the Big Ten paired teams together, many of them were due to geographical rivalry. The Los Angeles teams were matched up, Michigan and Michigan State paired up but for the No. 12 Ohio State women’s basketball team, it was the No. 8 Maryland Terrapins. Outside of the top 5 battles in Southern California, it’s the toughest home-and-home battle in the conference.

On Thursday, the Bucks and Terps play their first game against each other, but the two ranked sides aren’t entering it in good shape. Ohio State lost its first game of the season against a 9-9 Penn State team without a single Big Ten win. On Monday, things were even worse for the Terrapins.

To talk about the uphill battle Maryland has this week, and possibly for the next few weeks, Max Schaeffer of Testudo Times gave up his time to discuss key injuries, the addition of a former Big Ten standout freshman, and the no good, very bad, Tuesday for the Terps.


Land-Grant Holy Land: Maryland had a rough Monday on and off the court. Earlier in the day, the program announced Bri McDaniel is out for the rest of the season with an ACL tear. Before we get into the game against Texas that followed the announcement, what do the Terps miss with McDaniel out?

Testudo Times: Bri McDaniel is Maryland women’s basketball’s beating heart in my opinion. She is the ultimate competitor, elite defensively and can get downhill at will. Probably most importantly, she is extremely poised and feels like when they need to make a run they always lean on her. In short without her they miss a ton.
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LGHL: A few hours later, the No. 7 Texas Longhorns absolutely handled Maryland but Shyanne Sellers leaving the game limping is the long-term concern. Any word on how Sellers is doing?

TT: Yes, that game was already out of hand when Sellers went down, and her going out shot down any chance of a comeback. The word right now is that it’s a contact injury to her right knee, she was able to limp off the court, but she looked to be in a lot of pain. I would be surprised if she’s available in the next few weeks, let alone against Ohio State.
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LGHL: There have been a number of injuries plaguing this side over the last few weeks but still have a ranked win against Minnesota and played the No. 4 USC Trojans to the brink before falling late. When Maryland is at their best, what are they doing better than most sides this season?

TT: With McDaniel and Sellers, I think this could easily be a Final Four team. They were doing a lot of important things really well, one being rebounding. Maryland has had one of the best rebounding margins in the country, although it was overmatched against Texas’ bigs.

Another thing that made Maryland hard to stop was offensive depth, when healthy they had 7 players capable of putting up double digits on any given night. It’s not a big 3 point shooting team, but it has the ability to get hot. On the defensive end, the Terps haven’t always been consistent, but on their day can make your life really difficult. Saylor Poffenbarger and Christina Dalce are great on the interior defensively.
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LGHL: Kaylene Smikle was the big transfer in the offseason, joining from the neighboring Rutgers Scarlet Knights. How has she adjusted to Brenda Frese’s game?

TT: Smikle has been the most impactful newcomer on the offensive end, and Maryland’s second option behind Sellers. She can hurt teams from deep when she’s feeling it, but she’s at her best attacking the rim where she’s great at drawing fouls. My comparison for her is James Harden.

Frese has challenged her to be better defensively, where her effort can be variable, but when she wants to be she can be a huge pest and force steals on the perimeter. Maryland will really need her to play at an elite level without McDaniel and Sellers.
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LGHL Five interesting stats from Ohio State’s College Football Playoff win on Monday night

Five interesting stats from Ohio State’s College Football Playoff win on Monday night
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

NCAA Football: CFP National Championship-Ohio State at Notre Dame

Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The numbers never lie, so we found interesting stats to illustrate why Ohio State was able to defeat Notre Dame in Atlanta on Monday night.

On Monday night Ohio State won their ninth national championship with a 34-23 victory over Notre Dame in Atlanta. The win was the third straight year the Buckeyes have beaten the Fighting Irish, and the seventh straight win over the team from South Bend. The victory capped off a memorable four-game run for Ohio State, which was fueled by the players and coaches digging deep following an embarrassing 13-10 loss to Michigan in Columbus in the final game of the regular season.

Along with a bunch of memorable moments from Monday night’s game for Buckeye fans to look back on, there were a number of interesting stats from the game that tell a lot of the story we saw on the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Today we are going to revisit five of the most interesting stats to come out of the title game victory over the Fighting Irish, as well as the four-game run for Ohio State in the College Football Playoff.

16:37-13:23 time of possession in first half​


Monday night’s game got off to a rough start for the Ohio State defense. Notre Dame received the opening kickoff and reeled off an 18-play touchdown drive that ate up 9:45 of the first-quarter clock. With the methodical drive down the field that included nine runs from quarterback Riley Leonard, the Fighting Irish became the first team in this year’s College Football Playoff to hold a lead over the Buckeyes.

Ohio State wouldn’t trail for long, as they responded with an 11-play drive that took 6:05 off the clock and ended with a Jeremiah Smith receiving touchdown. After Notre Dame looked like they had the early momentum after their touchdown drive, the Buckeyes came right back with a drive that was pretty much effortless. With the score back to even, Ohio State started to take control, only allowing the Fighting Irish to run seven more plays the rest of the first half.

Just imagine telling someone after Notre Dame’s first drive of the game that Ohio State would win the first-half time of possession battle by three minutes. The Fighting Irish took nearly a third of the first half off the clock with their first drive. Instead of getting rattled, Ryan Day’s team kept their composure and stuck to their game plan. Following their first drive that lasted 6:05, the next drive for the Buckeyes lasted 6:06, and their third possession of the half totaled 4:26.

Many teams might have seen their confidence take a big hit after Notre Dame opened the game with a nearly 10-minute touchdown drive. Instead, Ohio State not only responded to tie the game on the next drive, they got even stronger after.

13-of-13​


The calming force for Ohio State in the title game, as well as throughout the CFP, was quarterback Will Howard. In the biggest game Howard has ever played, all the former Kansas State quarterback did was complete his first 13 passes, setting a record for most consecutive completions to start a College Football Playoff game. The performance was a stark contrast to what we saw from Howard to open the Penn State game in early November, when it was obvious nerves got the best of him on the first couple of series as he was playing the school he dreamed about playing for as a kid.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: JAN 20 CFP National Championship - Notre Dame vs Ohio State
Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Howard was one of the most accurate passers in college football this season. Of the 16 games Ohio State played, Howard completed at least 80 percent of his passes in half of those games. By comparison, Kyle McCord only completed 80 percent of his passes in one game as a Buckeye quarterback last year, which came in the 63-10 win over Western Kentucky. There were only three games this season where Howard missed on at least 10 passes in a game. The only one of those inaccurate games from Howard the Buckeyes lost was the Michigan game.

Heading into the regular season, as well as a good portion of the way through the 2024 season, there were numerous people who wondered if Ryan Day made the right decision in letting McCord hit the transfer portal and bringing in Howard. Even though McCord had a fun season throwing the football for the Orange, there is no question Howard was the right choice to lead the Buckeyes. Not only do the stats Howard posted speak for themselves, but his leadership of the team was massive. It’s hard to imagine Ohio State replicating their success this year if McCord was still in Columbus.

205​


Entering Monday night’s game, Emeka Egbuka had caught 199 passes in his Ohio State career, putting him three shy of overtaking K.J. Hill for most receptions in school history. The title game against Notre Dame would be Egbuka’s final contest in the scarlet and gray, and he made sure to put his stamp on the school’s record book. By the midway point of the first half, Egbuka had already hauled in three passes to move past Hill’s mark. The wide receiver from Washington would catch three more passes during the game to finish with 205 career catches.

While Egbuka was able to set the school’s career receptions record, he fell just short of topping the career receiving yardage list. Egbuka finished with 64 yards receiving against the Fighting Irish, finishing his time as a Buckeye with 2,868 receiving yards. Despite his mark being threatened, Michael Jenkins still has the most receiving yards in a career in school history with 2,898 yards. At least Egbuka can hang his hat on moving past David Boston on Monday night, now sitting 13 yards ahead of Boston in the school’s all-time ranks.

Will Egbuka join the ranks of recent Ohio State receivers to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft? That remains to be seen. Even though Egbuka might not be headed to the NFL with the hype of guys like Garrett Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, or Marvin Harrison Jr., what Egbuka has that those talented receivers he played with in Columbus doesn’t have is a national championship.

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Ohio State head coach Ryan Day improved his coaching record at Ohio State to 70-10 with Monday night’s win over Notre Dame. Day’s 87.5 winning percentage is not only the best among active college football coaches who have coached at least 50 games, Day has one of the top winning percentages of all-time in college football. Even crazier about Day’s coaching record is nearly half of the 10 losses he has suffered as a head coach have come to Michigan.

2025 CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T- Ohio State v Notre Dame
Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

The national title is vindication for the Buckeye head coach. Following the Michigan game, there were many Ohio State fans that would have gladly helped Day pack his bags so they would never have to see him coach another game for the Buckeyes. Now less than two months later Day is finally a national champion. Ohio State put together a four-game run that will never be forgotten in Columbus, and the first game of that stretch was a game against Tennessee where Buckeye Nation was on edge heading into the game since they didn’t know what they would see from the team following the deflating performance against Michigan.

Who knows what lies ahead for Day, whether he is head coach at Ohio State for a year or another decade. There still is the Michigan hurdle that Day has to find a way to clear, but it’s a lot easier to handle as a national champion. Who knows if Jim Harbaugh still thinks Ryan Day was born on third base?

It doesn’t matter, since Day now has as many national titles as Harbaugh, and at least Day can say what he did this year was clean, which is something Harbaugh certainly can’t say about Michigan’s title last season.

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After rushing for over 40 yards on their opening touchdown drive, Notre Dame finished Monday’s game with just 53 yards rushing. By suffocating the rushing attack of the Fighting Irish, Ohio State secured their third game in the playoff where they held their opponent to less than 60 yards rushing. As a whole, Ohio State’s rush defense only gave up 244 yards rushing over their four CFP games. The only team that was able to find some success on the ground against the Buckeyes was Tennessee, who ran for 156 yards in the first-round game in Columbus. If we’re being honest though, the Volunteers were able to roll up most of those yards after the Buckeyes already had a healthy lead.

Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles pushed the right buttons following the first game against Oregon, as well as after the loss to Michigan. Just look at how the Buckeyes were able to bottle up Jordan James in the Rose Bowl after the Oregon running back was tough to tackle in the first game between the teams in Eugene back in October. It was obvious the defense was playing with a chip on their shoulder following the loss to the Ducks, and the chip got even bigger after Michigan ran for 172 yards at Ohio Stadium in late November.

Ohio State made Notre Dame one-dimensional after the first drive. Riley Leonard was stuffed in his next eight carries after the nine totes he had on the opening drive. What was most curious about the Fighting Irish on offense is they didn’t try to get Jeremiyah Love involved in the rushing attack, with the 1,000-yard rusher having just four carries in the game. Knowles will undoubtedly get head coaching interest next year, but it feels like if he hasn’t led a program by now, he might not have any designs on becoming a head coach. Here’s to Knowles sticking around in Columbus for as long as Ohio State can hold on to him.

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Google Ohio State vs. Notre Dame score, live updates: Follow College Football Playoff National Championship Game - Yahoo Sports

Ohio State vs. Notre Dame score, live updates: Follow College Football Playoff National Championship Game - Yahoo Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".

Ohio State vs. Notre Dame score, live updates: Follow College Football Playoff National Championship Game Yahoo Sports

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LGHL Hangout in the Holy Land: The mission is complete, no doubt was left!

Hangout in the Holy Land: The mission is complete, no doubt was left!
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

NCAA Football: CFP National Championship-Ohio State at Notre Dame

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Ohio State Buckeyes are the 2024-25 national champions, and no one will forever forget this group of players

The latest episode of Land-Grant Holy Land’s flagship podcast is here! Join LGHL personalities as they discuss Ohio State football, basketball, recruiting, and much more! Come for the hot takes. Stay for the warm ones.


Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio


For the final recap episode of Hangout in the Holy Land of the 2024-25 season, Justin Golba is joined by Land-Grant Holy Land Managing Editor Gene Ross to talk about the 2024 National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes.

The Buckeyes defeated Notre Dame 34-23 to finish the season 14-2 and at the top of the mountain in college football. We give a full game recap, breakdown, and our full thoughts on the 2024-25 season that will go down in the history books. It is safe to say the 30 for 30 this season will be a must-watch.

Thank you for following along all season and staying with us through the offseason.

Make sure to like and subscribe to the podcast. As always, Go Bucks!


Connect with the pod:
Twitter: @HolyLandPod

Connect with Justin Golba:
Twitter: @justin_golba

Connect with Gene Ross:
Twitter: Gene_Ross23

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LGHL Ohio State men’s basketball vs. No. 11 Purdue: Game preview and prediction

Ohio State men’s basketball vs. No. 11 Purdue: Game preview and prediction
Jami Jurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

NCAA Basketball: Indiana at Ohio State

Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

After three consecutive games decided by just one score, the Buckeyes hit the road for West Lafayette to face the No. 17 Boilermakers.

After losing their last three in close decisions, Ohio State (10-8, 2-5 B1G) heads to West Lafayette, Ind., tonight to face No. 11 Purdue (15-4, 7-1 B1G), at a point in the season where each game becomes critical for conference tournament success and NCAA tournament hopes.

The Boilermakers, for their part, have just one conference loss this season, an early December contest against Penn State in their first conference game of the season. That loss is also their lone blemish against an unranked team this year.

The teams last met in February of 2024, when Purdue—then the No. 2-team in the country—was upset by Ohio State, 73-69. It was Buckeye head coach Jake Diebler’s debut in the role, as he was serving as interim head coach at the time after Chris Holtman’s midseason firing.

NCAA Basketball: Indiana at Ohio State
Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Preview​


Bringing with them a record that doesn’t tell the full story, Ohio State sits just above .500 but teeters near the bottom of the conference, their lone conference victories coming against Rutgers and Minnesota (their most recent win).

Each of the Buckeyes’ last four contests were neck-and-neck (including that win against Minnesota — OSU came out ahead in double-overtime, 89-88). Then three consecutive losses followed.

Still, despite being on a three-game losing streak, the numbers don’t show how close those games were, decided by two points or fewer. Two of those games came against ranked opponents (then-No. 15 Oregon and No. 24 Wisconsin), one on the road in one of the toughest venues in college basketball (on the road in Madison). Their most recent loss was an overtime thriller against Indiana, which the Hoosiers took, 77-76.

Do the Buckeyes need a reset? Sure. But they also have more gas in the tank than the numbers show. It might not matter come March, but a win at Purdue would be a huge way to get Ohio State’s train back on its tracks.

Against the Hoosiers, the Buckeyes carried a 35-29 lead into halftime after shooting 46.2 percent in the first half, but five quick points from Luke Goode cut the lead to just one, four minutes into the second half. It remained neck-and-neck for a bit, with a few lead changes, until the Hoosiers gave themselves a 10-point buffer. Still, the Buckeyes had a little fight left in them, cutting that lead down to just three in the final 90 seconds of regulation, forcing overtime off a three from John Mobley Jr.

In overtime, back-and-forth baskets kept things close, but Goode landed a three with just over a minute left, and Indiana’s Anthony Leal blocked a Mobley jumper in the final seconds. Bruce Thornton was there with the rebound, setting up the chance for a buzzer-beating OSU victory, but his clean look at the three bounced in and out, ending the game with the Hoosiers ahead.

As the Buckeyes attempted to cover the 7-foot Oumar Ballo (who finished the game with 21 points and 15 rebounds for the double-double, along with four assists and two blocks), Goode was able to seize his moment, finishing with a career-high 23 points.

Mobley led for the Buckeyes with 22 points, while Micah Parrish added a season-high 19 points, along with four rebounds and three steals (tying his season-high). Thornton added 18 points of his own.

One of the biggest differentiators between Indiana and OSU in the matchup came down to offensive rebounds—while the Hoosiers turned 14 offensive rebounds into 17 second-chance points, the Buckeyes only grabbed nine rebounds, good for six points.

So far this year, Ohio State has four guys averaging in double-digit scoring: Thornton (17.4 ppg, the eighth-best in the Big Ten), Devin Royal (13.8 ppg), John Mobley Jr. (12.5 ppg), and Micah Parrish (10.5 ppg). Royal also leads in rebounds with 7.4 per game, and Thornton leads with 4.3 assists.

Royal was out against Indiana with a right wrist strain and his status remains questionable at Purdue.

On the other side, the Boilermakers have won their last seven, most recently earning a 7-point victory on the road at No. 13 Oregon, 65-58. Excepting their first conference game this season, against Penn State, their only losses have come against ranked teams, most recently against No. 2 Auburn. They haven’t dropped a contest since the holiday break.

They are led in scoring by forward Trey Kaufman-Renn, who is averaging 17.9 points per game, along with 6.5 rebounds. In Purdue’s last outing, a 65-58 road win over Oregon, Kaufman-Renn shot just 7-of-20 from the field but still managed to secure the double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds. He also had 100 percent free throw shooting (6-of-6) and six offensive rebounds.

Behind Kaufman-Renn, guard Braden Smith is averaging 15.1 points per game and leads the team in assists (8.9 per game) and steals (2.4 per game). Against the Ducks, Smith contributed 15 points, seven assists, four rebounds and four steals.

Rounding out their double-digit scoring is guard Fletcher Loyer who is averaging 13.1 points per game.

NCAA Basketball: Purdue at Oregon
Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Prediction​


The Buckeyes got it done last year against a better Purdue team under far more unlikely circumstances, but while they’ve been knocking at the door of a big win for a few games now, last season also gave them the advantage of home court against the Boilermakers.

This time, they’ll have to head to West Lafayette to play in Mackey Arena, where the Buckeyes haven’t come out on top since the 2017-2018 season. Add to this the fact that last year’s upset is probably still fresh for Purdue players and fans alike, and this one is an uphill battle for the Buckeyes, who are facing a Purdue team that has been hot since the holiday break.

While Purdue hasn’t been shooting as efficiently on this recent road stretch as they usually do, the friendlier atmosphere of their home court should help them get back on their feet, so the Buckeyes will need to be able to cover them closely. Defensively, the Boilermakers are currently ranked 20th on KenPom, making them a formidable defensive foe for the Buckeyes.

Purdue is the better team on paper, but OSU has faced a few teams consecutively who are the better team on paper and still gave them a good fight. Victory is not impossible for OSU, but this hard-knock team will need to execute flawlessly, knock down shots, force turnovers, and capitalize on all second-chance opportunities if they have any hope of coming back to Columbus with this win under their belt.

Whether they manage to pull off the upset or not, the Buckeyes should be able to keep this one closer than people expect. They’re overdue for a tight matchup to end in their favor, and it could be exactly what they need to turn it around for the rest of the season.


ESPN BPI: Purdue 77.1%

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

TV: Peacock

LGHL score prediction: Ohio State 73, Purdue 72​


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LGHL Ohio State has won the most impressive national title in college football history

Ohio State has won the most impressive national title in college football history
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

2025 CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T- Ohio State v Notre Dame

Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images

The Buckeyes navigated a never-before-seen postseason field and emerged victorious.

It wasn’t without its bumps and bruises along the way, but Ohio State’s 34-23 victory over Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff National Championship put an exclamation point on the most impressive title run in the sport’s history. On top of a navigating the first-ever 12-team postseason field, winning four games in a row against high-quality opponents, the Buckeyes accumulated no shortage of historical accolades along the way.

There has never before been a more deserving champion.

For starters, Ohio State played and defeated six of the top eight teams in the final CFP rankings, doing so by an average of almost 17 points. Four of those six wins came in the College Football Playoff, defeating Tennessee (No. 7), Oregon (No. 1), Texas (No. 3) and Notre Dame (No. 5) in succession. The other two came in the regular season, with victories over Penn State (No. 4) and Indiana (No. 8) to add to the ledger.

The only two teams in the top eight that escaped the Buckeyes’ wrath was Georgia (No. 2), whom they did not have to play, and themselves (No. 6).

Ohio State becomes the first team in college football history to knock off five AP Top-5 ranked teams in a single season. Only three teams ever before had defeated four AP Top-5 teams in a single campaign before, with 2019 LSU being the most recent to accomplish such a feat alongside 1967 USC and 1943 Notre Dame. The Buckeyes’ came into Monday night tied for that record, but now own it all to themselves as the only program to play and defeat five opponents of that magnitude over the course of a year.

Ryan Day and Ohio State obviously wouldn’t have been able to achieve this storybook ending if it weren’t for an elite group of players, and those guys made their own history along the way as well.

With their performances against the Fighting Irish, Ohio State became the first program ever to boast four 1,000-yard players in a single season.

Both TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins each managed to rush for over 1,000 yards, as Henderson finished with 1,016 yards and 11 total touchdowns and Judkins with 1,060 yards and 16 touchdowns, three of which came against Notre Dame. The Buckeyes also had a pair of 1,000-yard receivers in Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka. The five-star freshman ultimately finished with 1,315 yards and 15 TDs, while Egbuka racked up 1,011 yards and 10 scores.

That mark comes on top of the myriad of individual history made by this talented collection of guys.

Smith’s historical season has been well-documented, as the 19-year-old put together the greatest freshman season of any wide receiver in Ohio State history — and likely the country. Egbuka, meanwhile, surpassed K.J. Hill as Ohio State’s all-time program record-holder in career receptions with 205 after hauling in six catches for 64 yards against Notre Dame. In addition, Will Howard’s 73% completion percentage is also the best in Ohio State history, beating C.J. Stroud’s mark of 71.9% in 2021.

Ohio State did all of this without its two best offensive linemen, missing starting left tackle Josh Simmons for the final 10 games of the season and starting center Seth McLaughlin for the last five, with both guys out for the entirety of the College Football Playoff. All the other accolades and accomplishments aside, there is a real argument to be made that Donovan Jackson was Ohio State’s MVP this season for the tremendous job he did moving over from guard to tackle.

A lot of guys had to step up in order for the Buckeyes to make it here, and Jackson is chief among that list.

Speaking of stepping up, Jim Knowles deserves a ton of credit for what he was able to do with this Ohio State defense. Following a one-point loss to Oregon back in early October, the Buckeyes made significant changes to its defensive structure. The result was a stretch of seven-straight games without allowing a touchdown pass, and a group that finished the season ranked No. 1 in scoring defense, allowing just 12.9 points per game.

Against its four College Football Playoff opponents — four teams that each averaged more than 32 points per game heading into the CFP — Ohio State allowed an average of 18.8 points, holding both the Volunteers and the Longhorns under 20 points.

In the end, Ohio State can now lay claim as the winners to both the first-ever four-team College Football Playoff and now the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff. No program in the sport’s history has had to face a gauntlet of four games quite like the Buckeye just did in order to secure a national title, and Ohio State managed to navigate that path while winning each of its four postseason games by double-digits, including a 25-point win over eighth-seeded Tennessee and a 20-point win over No. 1 Oregon.

Ohio State tackled the most difficult test of any national title winner before them, and it passed with flying colors. Ryan Day and the Buckeyes, who experienced perhaps the absolute darkest of days at the end of the regular season, bounced back to achieve the highest of highs. A campaign that looked dead in the water on Nov. 30 turned into one of redemption and glory.

You couldn’t write a better story, and nobody else ever has.

The 2024 Ohio State Buckeyes: the most impressive, deserving and undisputed national champions in college football history.

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