The No. 8 seed Ohio State Buckeyes are gearing up to face the No. 7 seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Monday night in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.

One of the big talking points leading up to the game is Notre Dame’s defense and their commitment to sticking with press, man-to-man coverage instead of shifting to zone.

That approach hasn’t worked well for teams facing Ohio State, especially with freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith dominating against it. In the first two CFP games, Smith racked up 13 catches for 290 yards against Tennessee and Oregon.

But in the semifinal, Texas used a zone-heavy scheme with some man coverage mixed in, holding Smith to just one catch for three yards.

Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore addressed their game plan earlier this week, saying, “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 the receivers.”

Smith reposted Moore’s comments on TikTok without saying anything but told reporters on Saturday that he’s “ready for the challenge.” “My mindset is to go out there on Monday and just dominate the person that’s in front of me,” Do what I’ve been doing for the last two or three weeks. They play man-on-man, so I’m just ready for the challenge.

” The Fighting Irish have 19 interceptions in the season, ranking fifth nationally.

Notre Dame’s defensive back room has a ton of talent, including Xavier Watts and Christian Gray, both projected to be picked in the 2025 NFL Draft. The group also features Jordan Clark, Adon Shuler, and Moore.

Kickoff between Ohio State and Notre Dame on Monday night is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Currently, the Buckeyes are 8.5-point favorites, according to ESPN BET.