Foreshadow: Be a warning or indication of (a future event).
That is exactly what Emeka Egbuka did in the national championship as the star wide receiver predicted Ohio State's national championship-clinching play before it even happened. In fact, the Buckeyes might have only run that specific play because of Egbuka's ability to quickly decipher film on the sidelines.
Holding a 31-23 lead following a late-game comeback attempt by Notre Dame, Ohio State had the ball at its 24-yard line with just over four minutes remaining. After four straight running plays, the latter three of which were QB Power by Will Howard, OSU had the ball at its 34-yard line with 2:45 remaining while the Fighting Irish only had one timeout.
With Notre Dame loading the box expecting a run, Jeremiah Smith got one-on-one coverage on the outside. It was almost like Ohio State was setting up for that third-down play knowing exactly what the Fighting Irish were going to do.
The sideline tablets that were introduced in college football prior to the start of the 2024 season helped Ohio State make the play of the game in the biggest game of the season. By watching film from earlier in the game, Egbuka identified that Notre Dame cornerback Christian Gray (No. 29) would run man-to-man coverage with inside leverage if Ohio State attacked him deep.
"We need to run a go-ball on 29," Egbuka told Howard, Devin Brown and assistant quarterbacks coach Riley Larkin while watching film earlier in the game, as seen on OSU's excellent cinematic recap. "Look at the inside leverage he has when (Carnell Tate’s) attacking him.”
Emeka Egbuka spoke Will Howards 56-yard pass to Jeremiah Smith on 3rd-and-11 (3rd-and-Jeremiah) into existence while watching film earlier in the game.
— Josh Poloha (@JorshP) January 28, 2025
We need to run a go-ball on 29. Look at the inside leverage he has when (Carnell Tates) attacking him. pic.twitter.com/EMEN82BRxR
Egbuka's identification made it so Howard could easily find Smith open for a 56-yard deep ball that would all but seal the win for Ohio State.
"It's when you tee up the driver and it feels real nice, 300 down the middle," Howard said after the game. "We knew they were going to potentially play us in man ... all I had to do is give 4 a chance and let 4 be 4."
The quarterback reiterated those same remarks while talking to the media at Raising Cane's last Wednesday.
"Yes, no question about it. That ball was going to No. 4, man," Howard said. "I look out there, I see one-on-one, he's off inside leverage. JJ attacked his leverage, really stacked him. That play's going to be talked about for a long time here in Ohio State history. That's just credit to Jeremiah, man. That guy's an alien.
"He's unreal," he continued. "I knew that going into that play, they were probably expecting us to run the ball, try and take some seconds off the clock. We could have been conservative and ran the ball and given them the ball back with a little bit over two minutes left in the game, but I love the play call from Coach Day and Coach Kelly. We worked that all week and said, on some 3rd-and-extra long stuff, if they were going to give us that opportunity, they could be beat on some go-balls. And when it comes to go-balls, there ain't nobody better than No. 4. Just let him go out there and do his thing, put some air on it, and let him go catch it."
Four plays later, Jayden Fielding made a 33-yard field goal with 26 seconds left to give Ohio State a 34-23 lead with just 26 seconds remaining, putting the game out of reach for Notre Dame.
Egbuka posted his second 1,000-yard season and became Ohio State's all-time leader for receptions in a career during the national championship game. His football IQ is a big part of what makes him a special player, and it helped him cement his legacy as a Buckeye legend not only with his production on the field but by helping Ohio State draw up the play that won a national title.
