ATLANTA — In a tearful postgame locker room, Notre Dame football cornerback Christian Gray sat in silence with his head down late Monday night, teammates still consoling him in hushed tones.
A 56-yard completion to freshman wideout Jeremiah Smith helped Ohio State hold off a furious Notre Dame comeback to claim the CFP national championship with a 34-23 win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The completion came on third-and-11 from the Ohio State 34-yard-line with 2:45 remaining, and it happened with Gray in single coverage against Smith. Notre Dame trailed 31-23 at that point.
“That’s always sad when that happens because everybody looks at that player,” Irish defensive coordinator Al Golden said. “Certainly, I should be looked at for putting him in that position. But Christian is going to battle back. You don’t have to worry about him, man.
“He is a competitor, he is resilient and he’s a blessing.”
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After allowing Ohio State to score on its first five possessions, Notre Dame nearly climbed all the back from a 24-point hole. Linebacker Drayk Bowen forced a fumble on the sixth defensive series, and the Buckeyes’ next series lasted just five plays before a punt.
Five plays into the clinching series, Will Howard, the Kansas State grad transfer, lofted a perfect rainbow down the right sideline with Gray trailing the play.
“There’s 15 other calls I could have made,” Golden said. “We were near the end. We couldn’t allow another first down. We went the pressure route, and obviously (Smith) made a great play.”
A sophomore in his first year as a starter, Gray bounced back from a rough outing at USC in the regular-season finale to make the game-saving interception and 99-yard return for a touchdown.
Monday’s pivotal play went against Gray.
“Christian’s a battler,” Golden said. “It’s hard to play out there. The game dictated that it was kind of do or die. I wish I didn’t put him in that position, but it was kind of like, this was it. We needed to make a stop right there. He was the guy. It manifests through him, if you will.”
This was the third straight year of heartbreak for Golden and Notre Dame against their talented neighbors from Columbus.
A double-safety blitz backfired in 2022 with freshman cornerback Jaden Mickey in coverage against Xavier Johnson on third-and-11. That 24-yard touchdown pass from C.J. Stroud wiped out a 10-7 Irish lead in the final seconds of the third quarter of an eventual 21-10 loss.
In 2023, Notre Dame couldn’t hold a 14-10 lead when Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord found Emeka Egbuka for 21 yards on a third-and-19 play to keep the winning drive alive.
Monday night, it was Howard’s turn to find Smith at Gray’s expense on third and 11.
“The kids made a great throw and catch,” Golden said. “Obviously, hindsight, you would always want to stop the play that everybody saw, but the kids have to execute it and they did.”
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden on game-clinch catch
