Notre Dame has a chance to win its first national championship since 1988. Here's how the Fighting Irish can get past Ohio State.

Then, for the biggest play of the game, Notre Dame decided to leave Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith on an island. It was third and 12 and the Fighting Irish would get the ball back with a stop with a chance to tie the game. Smith completely burned his defender and he was wide open for a huge gain, and he iced the game.

My son doesn't play football, but he loves the game. He was very excited and confident the whole game that Ohio State would win'

Notre Dame wasn't able to dial up pressure with any regularity on Ohio State quarterback Will Howard and the results showed. Howard was able to step into throws and completed all but four pass attempts on the night, averaging 11 yards per attempt and throwing for two scores en-route to taking away game MVP honors.

One Notre Dame football player that improved their draft stock during Monday's national championship game is quarterback Riley Leonard. Leonard didn't have a big season by any means, but he did play a good game against Ohio State as he was 22-31 for 255 yards and two touchdowns. Leonard was a big part of the comeback.

Instant thoughts after Notre Dame's comeback effort falls short against Ohio State in the national championship.

Here's everything you need to know about Notre Dame facing Ohio State in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.