‘I feel bad’: Eddie McGuire’s son Joe wins college football national championship

Joe McGuire, the son of broadcaster Eddie, has won an all-Aussie punting duel in a performance few would have seen coming.

Eddie McGuire’s son Joe has become a national football champion in the US — and he barely had to lift a finger to make it happen.

The Ohio State Buckeyes beat the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 34-23 to claim the school’s ninth national championship and first since 2014, denying Notre Dame its first since 1988.

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Incredibly for Aussies, it was a no-lose situation with McGuire punting for the Buckeyes and James Rendell, son of the late former Fitzroy captain and two-time all-Australian Matt Rendell who died in 2023, was the Irish’s punter.

But it was the son of the broadcaster and former Collingwood president that claimed the victory despite largely getting to watch from the sidelines.

In the lead up the championship game, NFL expert Ed Wyatt told SEN that the two Melburnians were going to play a big part in the result.

“Punting’s going to be important because these are the two best defences in college football — Ohio State’s one and Notre Dame is two — so punting will play a part,” Wyatt said.

But while hindsight is 20-20, foresight is often shown up to be a fool’s errand, as it was in this situation.

While both Aussies got the best seat in the house to watch the match, there were just three punts in the match.

Rendell punted for 46 yards early in the second quarter and 51 yards with five minutes left in the quarter.

McGuire had to wait until 6.25 left in the game for his one kick — a 51-yard kick to the Notre Dame 10-yard line.

Watch the punt in the video player above.

Joe McGuire is a national champion.

There wasn’t much James Rendell could do. Picture: Instagram

Host of the College Football Smothered and Covered podcast and host on SXMCollege Barrett Sallee tweeted: “I feel bad for Ohio State punter Joe McGuire. He warmed up his leg all afternoon but has been stuck holding for field goals and extra points all night.”

The American Football Community Belgium account posted: “Missing: Have you seen this man? His name is Joe McGuire, and he is the @OhioStateFB punter. He was last seen in the semi-final against Texas. So far today there has been no sight of him.”

But McGuire also had the best seat in the house to see Jayden Fielding boot the match sealing field goal to completely close the door with 26 seconds left in the match as he held the ball for the kicker.

The American’s Watching The Footy page posted: “That was Joe McGuire holding the title-clinching field goal. Eddie’s son is a national champion.”

Despite having largely been relegated to the role of kicking tee for most of the match, McGuire still claimed the ring in the all-Aussie battle of the punters.

“Unreal,” McGuire told AAP.

The Buckeyes’s shock triumph looked far from likely after they fell to arch rivals Michigan in November and were seeded eighth in the College Football Playoff newly expanded to 12 teams this season.

After Notre Dame marched 75 yards on the way to a touchdown on the opening drive of the game, Ohio State seized control.

Quarterback Will Howard hit Jeremiah Smith with an eight-yard touchdown pass that levelled the score at 7-7.

Eddie and Carla McGuire with son Xander supporting Joe

Joe, Eddie and Carla McGuire

The Buckeyes built their lead to 31-7 thanks to three touchdowns from Quinshon Judkins and a 46-yard field goal by Jayden Fielding.

Notre Dame injected some tension with a pair of touchdowns – quarterback Riley Leonard hitting Jaden Greathouse with scoring passes of 34 and 30 yards.

Both were followed by two-point conversions as Notre Dame pulled within 31-23 with 4:15 remaining.

But the Buckeyes responded, Howard finding Smith with a 56-yard pass down the right sideline to extend a drive capped by a 33-yard field goal from Fielding that sealed the win with 26 seconds left.

Howard completed an impressive 17 of 21 passes for 231 yards and Judkins rushed for 100 yards with touchdowns of 34 and 30 yards sandwiched around a six-yard touchdown catch.

The defeat left Notre Dame still in search of a 14th national crown, and their first since 1988.
But this won’t be the last we hear of McGuire either, with the Aussie wanting to both finish his college career and then try his hand at the NFL.

“It (making the NFL) is definitely the ultimate goal,” McGuire said last week.

“I’ve definitely got a long way to go before I look at that. I’ve got another three years here at college before I’d look at that.

“But of course, being at Ohio State especially, the ultimate goal is to make it to the league.”

With AFP

Originally published as ‘I feel bad’: Eddie McGuire’s son Joe wins college football national championship