ATLANTA -- Notre Dame and Ohio State have first- and second-year players they hope will make impacts when the teams meet in the College Football Playoff Championship Game on Monday. The No. 7 seeded Fighting Irish point to cornerback Leonard Moore, named last week the defensive freshman of the year by the Football Writers Association of America, who will go against the No. 8 Buckeyes receiver Jeremiah Smith. With 71 catches for 1,227 yards and 14 touchdowns on the season, Smith was a surprising snub for the award on the offensive side. But head coaches Marcus Freeman of Notre Dame and Ryan Day of Ohio State said on Sunday that the success of both teams is due to the veterans in the program.
CFP notebook: Coaches count on veterans to lead Notre Dame, Ohio State
