Tag: Jordan Faison

Notre Dame vs. Ohio State: Fourth-Quarter Analysis

So close, and yet, so far.

For a fleeting moment, Notre Dame still had a chance in the College Football Playoff title game. In a season where the amazing has happened repeatedly, why not one more such occurrence?

We’ll never know the events that occurred in another universe, but in this one, Ohio State is the national champion after beating the Irish, 34-23.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Emeka Egbuka was on his way to a long reception, but [autotag]Drayk Bowen[/autotag] knocked the ball out of his clutches, and [autotag]Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa[/autotag] recovered it. Suddenly, the Irish had the ball in a 31-15 game.

[autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] completed a 30-yard pass to [autotag]Jaden Greathouse[/autotag], and a couple of defensive holding calls against the Buckeyes set the Irish up with a first-and-goal. Three plays went nowhere, and instead of going for it on fourth down like most teams in such a situation should, the Irish opted to send [autotag]Mitch Jeter[/autotag] out for a 27-yard field-goal attempt. The kick doinked off the left upright, and the chance for points off turnovers was gone.

The Irish’s defense then forced the first Buckeyes punt of the game, and the offense badly needed points to still have a chance. It got them when Leonard fired another 30-yard pass to Greathouse, this time with Greathouse making a great catch in the end zone. Leonard then flipped the ball to [autotag]Jordan Faison[/autotag], who fired to [autotag]Beaux Collins[/autotag] to complete the two-point conversion and make it a one-score game.

Again, the Irish placed the Buckeyes’ offense in a tough spot, third-and-11 to be exact at their own 34-yard line. But that’s when Will Howard decided to air it out and fire a 56-yard pass to an open Jeremiah Smith, who caught the ball before being stopped at the Irish’s 10. Any real hope the Irish had was snuffed out on a play that Buckeyes fans will reminisce about forever.

The Buckeyes ran the ball a few times, milked the clock, and the matter officially was put to rest with a Jayden Fielding 33-yard field goal with 26 seconds left. The Irish were left to wonder what could have been, and the party in Columbus was underway.

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Watch Jaden Greathouse get a second touchdown to keep Notre Dame alive vs. Ohio State

Notre Dame isn’t dead yet.

Notre Dame is not going down without a fight.

The Fighting Irish are hanging in there versus the Ohio State Buckeyes thanks to a 30-yard touchdown pass from quarterback [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] to wide receiver [autotag]Jaden Greathouse[/autotag].

The pass capped off a 6-play, 80-yard touchdown that took 2:10.

It’s Greathouse’s second touchdown tonight.

Wide receiver [autotag]Jordan Faison[/autotag] then passed the ball to fellow receiver [autotag]Beaux Collins[/autotag] on a trick play for the two-point conversion to bring the Irish within 8.

Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Jaden Greathouse (1) catches a pass against Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Cody Simon (0) in the second half in the CFP National Championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

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Notre Dame vs. Ohio State: Third-Quarter Analysis

It’s not over yet, but the Irish better do something quickly.

If Notre Dame wants to win the College Football Playoff title game over Ohio State now, it better make its move quickly. Only 15 minutes remain, and the third quarter showed the Irish are no closer to slowing down the Buckeyes. They trail, 31-15.

Any hopes of the Irish seizing momentum after halftime were snuffed out on the second play of the quarter, which saw Quinshon Judkins run for 70 yards. Three plays later, Judkins had his fourth touchdown since the Irish had gotten a first down when he ran into the end zone from right next to the goal line.

On the Irish’s first possession of the second half, they promptly turned the ball over on downs after [autotag]Jordan Faison[/autotag] couldn’t handle a fourth-down pass from [autotag]Steve Angeli[/autotag]. That set the Buckeyes up in good field position, but to the Irish’s credit, they allowed only one first down this time. Still, the Buckeyes added onto their lead when Jayden Fielding kicked a 46-yard field goal.

The Irish finally broke their first-down drought when they took the ball back, albeit on a third-down pass interference call. But that proved to at least momentarily spark something within the Irish’s offense as it moved the ball better than it had since the opening drive.

This particular drive culminated with [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag]’s pass to [autotag]Jaden Greathouse[/autotag], who had enough space to score a 34-yard touchdown. Leonard then threw a short pass to [autotag]Jeremiyah Love[/autotag] for the two-point conversion. Just like that, the Irish had life again.

The momentum was snuffed out on the next possession though when [autotag]RJ Obe[/autotag]n was penalized for roughing the passer. The Buckeyes already were starting to drive, and this put them in Irish territory. That’s where we stand, and the Irish are in trouble.

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More experts pick Notre Dame-Ohio State

More experts predict Monday’s national championship tilt.

The experts continue to weigh in on the national championship matchup between Notre Dame and Ohio State.

Let’s start with the The Athletic’s Pete Sampson.

Sampson says that while the pregame spread strikes him as about right, he also thinks the Fighting Irish will beat the Buckeyes 21-20.

“There might not be a program in the country that knows itself better than Notre Dame, which means the Irish won’t blink on Monday night,” he writes. “If [head coach Marcus] Freeman can drag his alma mater into a four-quarter rock fight, Notre Dame will be the more comfortable team throwing stones. Ohio State is built to blow you away. Notre Dame is built to grind you down. The latter prevails.”

Other Athletic staffers, however, predict that Ohio State will win while covering the spread. Only one has Notre Dame either winning or losing by less than 8.5.

Jan 9, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Steve Angeli (18) throws the ball in the first half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
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Why Notre Dame’s Jordan Faison could win two championships in a year

This is pretty cool for Jordan Faison.

As Notre Dame prepares to contend for a national championship, Fighting Irish wide receiver Jordan Faison is preparing to contend for a second.

Notre Dame hasn’t won a football title since Faison arrived in South Bend, but he did win a title with Notre Dame’s lacrosse team in May 2024.

Faison played as a midfielder as a freshman for the Notre Dame lacrosse squad that topped Maryland for a national championship.

It’s an impressive feat for a two-sport athlete to be on the cusp of another title in another sport, and that’s exactly where Faison finds himself before Monday’s College Football Playoff finale.

 

Notre Dame vs. Indiana: Fourth-Quarter Analysis

Enjoy this win over the holidays, folks.

The fourth quarter of the first-round College Football Playoff game between Notre Dame and Indiana mostly was uneventful. That’s in part because the Irish had this game in the bag well before it got underway. All that was left to do really was wait for the clock to hit zero and let the Irish enjoy their 27-17 win.

The quarter wasn’t completely devoid of action though. [autotag]Mitch Jeter[/autotag] had a 37-yard field goal blocked, but the Hoosiers did nothing with that. [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] responded by directing a 78-yard drive that featured a 44-yard completion to [autotag]Jordan Faison[/autotag] that came up just short of the end zone. Leonard ran it in himself two plays later for his 15th rushing touchdown this season, an Irish quarterback record.

The Hoosiers came alive after the two-minute timeout when Kurtis Rourke fired a 7-yard touchdown pass to Myles Price and then completing a two-point conversion pass. They then recovered an onside kick, and Rourke led another scoring drive, this one via a 23-yard touchdown pass to Omar Cooper Jr. The late surge came too late to make a difference though.

Having ended the Hoosiers’ dream season, the Irish now turn their attention to the Sugar Bowl, where Georgia awaits them. With just under two weeks to recover and prepare, we’ll find out plenty about this team come New Year’s Day.

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Notre Dame College Football Playoff round one highlight: Riley Leonard sets a record

Riley Leonard just keeps using his legs.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] has set a record against the Indiana Hoosiers during the first round of the College Football Playoff.

Leonard set the record for rushing touchdowns in a season by a Notre Dame quarterback with 15. He passes [autotag]Brandon Wimbush[/autotag], who set the previous mark in 2017.

Leonard’s 1-yard run capped off a 9-play, 78-yard drive that took 5:44 off the clock.

While the run was nice, it was a deep toss from Leonard to [autotag]Jordan Faison[/autotag] for 44 yards that set the Irish up in the red zone.

The drive came after a baffling decision from Indiana to punt, and the touchdown made the score 27-3 in favor of the Irish.

Notre Dame place kicker Mitch Jeter (98) celebrates scoring a field goal during the first round of the College Football Playoff between Notre Dame and Indiana on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in South Bend.

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Notre Dame vs. Indiana: Third-Quarter Analysis

One quarter away from victory.

Notre Dame is in good shape to defeat Indiana in the first round of the College Football Playoff. There wasn’t a whole lot of action in the third quarter, but there was enough that people will talk about at game’s end.

[autotag]Jayden Harrison[/autotag] pitched the ball to [autotag]Jordan Faison[/autotag] on the opening kickoff of the second half, and that got the Irish into Hoosiers territory. The ensuing possession went nowhere, but [autotag]James Rendell[/autotag] punted the ball 31 yards to back the Hoosiers up to their own 12-yard line.

The Hoosiers went three-and-out after Kurtis Rourke was sacked by [autotag]Rylie Mills[/autotag] and then [autotag]Bryce Young[/autotag]. Mills’ sack proved costly though as he went down and ended up limping off the field. Fortunately, he was up and moving on the sidelines and could return to this game.

The Irish began their next possession at the Hoosiers’ 41. A late hit out of bounds on third down put them in the red zone, but even that nearly went for naught. They came up short on a fake field-goal attempt but were bailed out by a Hoosiers timeout right before the ball was snapped. That prompted them to do the sensible thing and have [autotag]Mitch Jeter[/autotag] actually kick a field goal, which he did from 33 yards out after a false start penalty.

After another Hoosiers three-and-out, the Irish drove for a few minutes before ending the quarter on the outskirts of field-goal range. That 20-3 lead sure looks safe, but stranger things have happened in college football. We’ll see.

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Notre Dame statistical leaders through 11 games

Who leads the Irish heading into the final regular-season contest?

Notre Dame has its fate in its own hands for the College Football Playoff. All it needs to do is defeat USC, and a first-round game at Notre Dame Stadium appears to be a certainty. Who would have thought the Irish would be in such a good position after the loss to Northern Illinois threatened to derail their season early?

The Irish can’t afford to get complacent though. The Trojans have not had a great season, but dealing the Irish a loss that could threaten their playoff chances would make up for everything that has gone wrong for them. That’s why the Irish will need to prepare for them like they would for any ranked team, and the talent they have should allow them to emerge victorious.

Here are the major statistical leaders the Irish are taking into their regular-season finale. Not all of them will be available, but they’re fun to see nonetheless:

Notre Dame vs. Army: First-Quarter Analysis

So far, so good for the Irish.

So far, Notre Dame is off to the start every one of its fans was hoping for in this Shamrock Series game against Army. All you really have to know is that the Irish have a 14-0 lead, but let’s go into specifics anyway because every unit contributed in the first 15 minutes.

The Irish’s defense started out fine by forcing a Black Knights three-and-out. Then, the offense took over, and [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] needed a little over two minutes to lead a drive that consisted of nothing but positive plays and ended with him throwing a 28-yard touchdown pass to [autotag]Jordan Faison[/autotag].

The Knights then went three-and-out again, but the ball never left their side of the field because [autotag]Bryce Young[/autotag] blocked the ensuing punt, and it was recovered by [autotag]Christian Gray[/autotag] to set the Irish up at first-and-goal. After two runs didn’t go very far, Leonard threw to [autotag]Jeremiyah Love[/autotag] for a 6-yard touchdown.

The Knights had better success on their next possession, getting into Irish territory and being aided by an offside penalty by [autotag]Jaylen Sneed[/autotag] on fourth-and-1. When the quarter ended, they were in the red zone. We’ll see how much that makes a difference in this game later on.

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