2) JT Tuimoloau flashes for Buckeyes defense.

The OSU defense had some shaky moments in the second half, but its defensive front set the tone early in the night and made enough plays late to help seal the win.

In the playoff semifinal win over Texas, Jack Sawyer was the folk hero, finishing off the victory with his strip sack and fumble return TD to ice the game. Monday night, Sawyer’s running mate, JT Tuimoloau, was the leading man.

Tuimoloau left the game against the Longhorns for a few plays with an ankle injury, and he actually came out Monday night appearing to be heavily wrapped on both feet. But you wouldn’t have known it the way he bullied Notre Dame’s replacement left tackle, Charles Jagusah.

Jagusah had some big blocks on the opening TD drive, but JTT got the better of him over time, making a great tackle for loss on Jeremiyah Love, drawing a holding call and pressuring Leonard into a throwaway. He later added an important sack in the second half, briefly stalling Notre Dame’s comeback.

The senior Tuimoloau is well-known in scouting circles, having made his impact on this defense since his freshman year in 2021. If anyone was starting to question his ceiling as a prospect, he cranked up the burners in the College Football Playoff, racking up 6.5 sacks, 3.5 more tackles for loss, two passes defended and a forced fumble in four games.

Sawyer played well, as did LB Cody Simon. But the secondary — loaded with talented players in safety Lathan Ransom and CBs Denzel Burke and Jordan Hancock — played a big role in allowing Notre Dame to turn a laugher into a tense affair late.

3) Riley Leonard started fast, rallied with strong second half.

There were long stretches Monday when the Notre Dame offense went dormant, and their comeback odds looked meager at one point. But Riley Leonard turned in a mostly gutsy performance — even with some shaky moments — in giving the Irish a chance at game’s end.

Leonard, who, like Howard, has accepted a Senior Bowl invite, opened the game leading the Irish on an 18-play drive, 13 of which were runs. Using his burly frame, Leonard authored nine of those runs, including the final four plays of the drive, willing Notre Dame to a 7-0 lead. He even hit three of his first five passes and moved the chains effectively

But the Irish went three-and-out on their next two possessions in the first half and opened the third quarter with a turnover on downs, after a failed fake punt. Meanwhile, OSU built a two- and eventually a three-score lead, effectively taking much of Leonard’s strengths away from him. He finished the night with 40 rushing yards and a touchdown, and completed 22 of 31 passes for 255 yards and two TDs.

The narrative coming into the game was that neither Leonard nor the ND offense were built to storm back with an offensive flurry against a high-powered opponent such as Ohio State. But Leonard did just that.

Leonard gamely kept the Irish plugging in the second half, finding Jaden Greathouse for a 34-yard touchdown, with Leonard’s two-point shovel pass to Love making it a two-score game at 31-15. Leonard found something in the second-half comeback with Greathouse and TE Mitchell Evans, and Greathouse’s second TD (and the two-point conversion) incredibly made it a one-score game with just over four minutes left.

Evans drew a defensive pass interference call late in the third quarter to keep his team alive, and his 33-yard catch and run in the fourth displayed good athleticism for a 260-pound tight end. He finished with 52 yards on four catches in a good outing.

One Notre Dame defender who stood out was Xavier Watts, who had a nice pass breakup on a red-zone pass to Henderson. The two enjoyed a gentlemanly handshake after Watts’ fine play. He was in on eight tackles, including one for a 5-yard loss on a Smith run. Watts also missed some tackles in space, going too high to make the stops, but he still possesses clear NFL ability.