Notre Dame fell to Ohio State in the national championship on Monday night. Here are the highlights from the Fighting Irish's loss:

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.

And in my 24 years on the Notre Dame football beat, no Irish team created more for the fan base than this one. Covering a run through the Playoff was to know you were documenting a team Notre Dame fans will be talking about for decades.