Over 77,000 packed the Mercedes Benz Stadium for the College Football Playoff national championship showdown between Notre Dame and Ohio State.  The two powerhouses were the last two standing in a playoff system that aims to crown a true champion in college football.  From the opening kick-off, the game lived up to the hype as Notre Dame scored a touchdown on its first possession. However, Ohio State would dominate the second and third quarter, leading Notre Dame 31-7 midway threw the third quarter.  Notre Dame would go on a run after quarterback Riley Leonard threw a touchdown to receiver Jaden Greathouse with about three minutes remaining in the third quarter.  The Fighting Irish continued to claw back in the fourth quarter with multiple long drives that led to a missed field goal and touchdown.  Notre Dame had an opportunity for one last scoring drive to tie the game at 31 with under four minutes remaining if they could have stopped Ohio’s offense that faced a 3rd-and-long scenario. However, Ohio State’s quarterback Will Howard connected with Jeremiah Smith for a 33-yard pass to convert on third down. Ohio State kicked a field goal to seal the 34-25 victory.  “I just can’t say enough about our guys and what they’ve overcome to get to this point,” Ohio State’s Ryan Day said in the post game press conference. “They now have something to show for it. I thought Notre Dame had a great season, and I think Marcus does a great job and they have a very, very good team and had a really good game plan. That first drive went right down the field. I thought we responded in a big way, never flinched. And I think, again, if you think about the run we’ve gone on here in the playoffs, a big part of the way we’ve responded coming off the end of the season, but then even the way the Texas game went and the way we responded early in that first quarter, and then even in the second half, just continued fighting the momentum because Notre Dame was fighting to get it back.” Notre Dame’s coach Marcus Freeman shared his disappointment, but was proud of how his team continued to fight.  “Obviously tough moment, tough outcome,” Freeman said. “There’s reasons why we didn’t get the outcome we wanted. Credit to Ohio State and their ability to execute on both sides of the ball. Obviously in the special teams they made a field goal that mattered at the end of the game. We obviously didn’t play the way we needed to to get the outcome we want, but as I said to the guys in the locker room, there’s not many words to say when everybody is hurting. I’m just proud of them and proud of what they’ve done. I’m proud of who they are, the way they represent themselves, and it’s just an honor to be on this journey with them.” Freeman made history by becoming the first Black and Asian coach to lead a team to a National Championship game. Prior to the game, he shared thoughts on the importance of MLK Day.  “The whole point of me continuing to take the attention off of me, though, and putting it on the team but also putting it on Dr. King — like Martin Luther King Day is about the great legacy that Dr. King has left in our country, and I don’t want to take any of that light and put it on myself but also the National Championship game because what Dr. King has done for our country has been tremendous,” Freeman said. “The ability not just to talk about change, but to have actions that incorporate change. He made change through his actions and his words, and the courage he has as a leader is something that I still am impacted by, as I study his life. And to do it in 38 years, that’s just — the impact that man made in 38 years is just humbling to even think about.”   The post Notre Dame’s Rally Falls Short, Ohio State Captures 2025 National Football Championship In Atlanta appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.