The Ohio State football team has crushed teams when they have played a lot of man-to-man coverage on them all year long. That's part of what makes freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith so special. We saw what he did against both Tennessee and Oregon when they tried to do that.
Smith crushed them, scoring four touchdowns and having over 100 yards receiving in each of those games. Texas decided to change coverage and played a ton of zone to take him away. In doing so, they held him to just one catch for three yards in the Cotton Bowl.
Notre Dame, Ohio State's opponent in the National Championship Game, plays almost exclusively man-to-man. There have been questions about whether or not they were going to keep that philosophy for this game. Based on what one ND defensive back said, it sounds like they will.
Notre Dame dares the Ohio State football team to beat them in man-to-man coverage
Freshman cornerback Leonard Moore spoke with the media and essentially dared the Buckeyes to beat them in that coverage.
"We're not going to change who we are. We're going to play man coverage like we do every week. We're going to go out there and challenge their receivers." - Notre Dame freshman All-American Leonard Moore pic.twitter.com/PcUEgjwumI
— Matt Freeman (@mattfreeman05_) January 16, 2025
On the one hand, he makes a good point. Notre Dame has made it this far by sticking to who they are. They are an elite man-to-man team. It would be extremely hard for them to change their entire defensive philosophy this late in the year.
On the other hand, the Buckeyes are the one team you don't want to play a lot of man-to-man coverage against. Smith isn't the only guy who can carve up defenses. Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate both excel against that kind of coverage as well.
If Notre Dame isn't careful, the Ohio State Buckeyes could absolutely destroy the secondary if they stay in that kind of coverage all game long. Ohio State is licking its chops listening to this quote. This is music to their ears.