The seventh-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish had one of the longest opening drives you will ever see.
This one-yard TD run from QB Riley Leonard capped an incredible 18-play, 75-yard drive to start the CFP National Championship game vs. the No. 8 seed Ohio State.
In fact, Notre Dame had the longest scoring drive in BCS/CFP championship game history, according to ESPN.
The drive lasted almost 10 minutes. Leonard converted three third downs and one fourth down, all of which were on the ground. He ran the ball nine times for 34 yards and recorded 31 yards through the air.
According to TeamRankings, Ohio State has the best defense in the country (12.2 PPG), so Notre Dame’s opening drive statement was nothing short of phenomenal.
In each of their three playoff games before Monday night, Ohio State had outscored its opponents 42-0. Notre Dame not only held the lead after the opening quarter, they also kept the high-scoring Buckeyes offense scoreless, which seemed unthinkable beforehand.
As the Fighting Irish pursue their first national title since 1988, they could not have asked for a better start.
