Kirk Herbstreit believes the first quarter is supremely important for Notre Dame football on Monday night.
The ESPN college football analyst said pregame on the field that the Irish can’t let Ohio State start hot in the national championship game.
“The first 15 minutes of this game (are) critical if you’re a Notre Dame fan, if you can weather the storm,” he said.
Notre Dame hasn’t allowed an opponent to score in the first quarter in its last six games. Ohio State, however, has six first-quarter touchdowns in its three College Football Playoff games.
“They’ve knocked teams out,” Herbstreit said.
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Game picks: Ohio State vs. Notre Dame in CFP national championship game
The Irish (14-1) play man-to-man pass defense, and the Buckeyes (13-2) will certainly challenge them with Will Howard throwing to Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka.
“Keep Ohio State within an arm’s length. (Notre Dame is) not built to come back,” Herbstreit said. “This has got to be a field position kind of game.”
The Irish trailed Penn State 10-0 shortly before halftime in their semifinal game, but Ohio State pounced on Oregon for 31 points in the first 21+ minutes in its semifinal.
What time is the College Football Playoff game? What time is the national championship game?
7:30 p.m. ET Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium at Atlanta
What channel is Notre Dame-Ohio State game on? What channel is the College Football Playoff game on?
TV: ESPN, with Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analysis) and Molly McGrath and Holly Rowe (sideline reporting); ESPN2 alternate broadcast, with Pat McAfee, A.J. Hawk, Darius Butler, Connor Campbell, Ty Schmit and Tone Digs; ESPNU has “Command Center,” featuring multiple angles with statistics; ESPNews has “SkyCast,” with overhead coverage of most plays.
How can I stream the Ohio State-Notre Dame game? National championship game streaming
The Notre Dame vs. Ohio State game will be on ESPN+ at 7:30 p.m. ET Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. The app is available in the Apple App Store or on Google Play. Fans can also download NFL+ in the Apple App Store or on Google Play.
The game will also be streamed on SiriusXM channels 80 (national feed), 81 (Ohio State feed) and 84 (Notre Dame feed).
Notre Dame football schedule, results
Aug. 31:Â Notre Dame 23, Texas A&M 13
Sept. 7:Â Northern Illinois 16, Notre Dame 14
Sept. 14:Â Notre Dame 66, Purdue 7
Sept. 21:Â Notre Dame 28, Miami (Ohio) 3
Sept. 28:Â Notre Dame 31, Louisville 24
Oct. 12:Â Notre Dame 49, Stanford 7
Oct. 19:Â Notre Dame 31, Georgia Tech 13
Oct. 26:Â Notre Dame 51, Navy 14
Nov. 9:Â Notre Dame 52, Florida State 3
Nov. 16:Â Notre Dame 35, Virginia 14
Nov. 23:Â Notre Dame 49, Army 14
Nov. 30:Â Notre Dame 49, USC 35
College Football Playoff
Dec. 20:Â Notre Dame 27, Indiana 17
Jan. 2:Â Notre Dame 23, Georgia 10
Jan. 9:Â Notre Dame 27, Penn State 24
Ohio State football schedule, results
Aug. 31:Â Ohio State 52, Akron 6
Sept. 7:Â Ohio State 56, Western Michigan 0
Sept. 21:Â Ohio State 49, Marshall 14
Sept. 28:Â Ohio State 38, Michigan State 7
Oct. 5:Â Ohio State 35, Iowa 7
Oct. 12:Â Oregon 32, Ohio State 31
Oct. 26:Â Ohio State 21, Nebraska 17
Nov. 2:Â Ohio State 20, Penn State 13
Nov. 9:Â Ohio State 45, Purdue 0
Nov. 16:Â Ohio State 31, Northwestern 7
Nov. 23:Â Ohio State 38, Indiana 15
Nov. 30:Â Michigan 13, Ohio State 10
College Football Playoff
Dec. 21:Â Ohio State 42, Tennessee 17
Jan. 1:Â Ohio State 41, Oregon 21
Jan. 10:Â Ohio State 28, Texas 14
College Football Playoff schedule, results
First round, Dec. 20-21
Second round, Dec. 31-Jan. 2
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Fiesta Bowl: Penn State 31, No. 3 seed Boise State 31-14
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Rose Bowl: Ohio State 41, No. 1 seed Oregon 21
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Peach Bowl: Texas 39, No. 4 seed Arizona State 31, 2OT
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Sugar Bowl: Notre Dame 23, No. 2 seed Georgia 10
Semifinals, Jan. 9-10
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Kirk Herbstreit analysis for Notre Dame football vs. Ohio State in CFP
