Ohio State scored on its first five possessions and defeated Notre Dame 34-23 in the College Football Playoff final to complete a remarkable run in the first 12-team tournament.

The national championship was Ohio State’s first since 2014 and its ninth. Less than two months after reaching the lowest point of coach Ryan Day’s tenure with another loss to Michigan, the Buckeyes returned to the Bowl Subdivision lead thanks to near-flawless play by their quarterback, a A series of explosive plays and defenses controlled the rim after a slow start.

The star was quarterback Will Howard, a veteran transfer from Kansas State who had one of the most productive performances by a passer in championship game history. He set a playoff record with 13 straight completions to open the game, not throwing an incompletion until missing a pass from running back TreVeyon Henderson with just over a minute left in the first half. Against a team with the second-best passing defense in the country by passing yards allowed per game, he completed 17 of 21 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns along with 57 yards on 16 attempts perform. Another headliner was quarterback Quinshon Judkins, a transfer from Mississippi who had 100 yards running, 21 receiving yards and three combined touchdowns. Freshman winger Jeremiah Smith had 88 yards and one score. Defensive tackle JT Tuimoloau had five tackles, two for loss and one clearance. For the Fighting Irish, quarterback Riley Leonard completed 22 of 31 punts for 255 yards and two passing touchdowns with a team-high 40 yards and one score on the ground. Leonard’s touchdown run was his 17th of the year, setting a program record in a single season for a quarterback. Quarterback Jaden Greathouse continued his impressive streak in the playoffs with a team-high 128 receiving yards and caught both of Leonard’s scores. But running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price failed to make an impact, combining for just 16 yards on seven carries.