Coach Ryan Day said, “It’s always been Ohio (State) against the world” and it will remain that way after his No. 6 Buckeyes topped No. 9 Notre Dame, 17-14, at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday won. Here’s what you need to know:
- Earlier this week, former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz questioned Ohio State’s toughness. Day responded after the win: “What (Holtz) said about our team, I can’t believe it. This is a strong team. We are proud to be from Ohio.”
- Running back Chip Trayanum scored the game-winning touchdown for Ohio State with one second left, extending the Buckeyes’ winning streak over the Fighting Irish to six games dating back to 1995. TreVeyon Henderson had a 61-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
- Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord completed 21 of 37 passes for 240 yards and no touchdowns, while Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman completed 17 of 25 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown.
- The Buckeyes improved to 4-0 with the win, while Notre Dame fell to 4-1.
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
What did Ryan Day and Lou Holtz say?
On the field after Ohio State’s last-second win, Day became emotional, praising his team’s “toughness” and appealing to Holtz, who said on “The Pat McAfee Show” Friday that “Notre Dame is a better football team than Ohio State.” is.” … Look at Coach (Ryan) Day … he lost twice to Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, Michigan, and they all beat him because they’re more physical than Ohio State.”
“I can’t believe what he said about our team. This is a strong team. We are proud to be from Ohio,” Day said. “It’s always been Ohio against the world and it will continue to be Ohio against the world.”
A costly mistake
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman called a timeout to prepare his defense for Ohio State’s game-winning touchdown. But that moment proved to be an organizational failure, as Notre Dame played the final two snaps of the game with 10 men on the field.
On the first pass, McCord’s sideways pass to Marvin Harrison Jr. went out of the hole in the Irish defense. On the second, DeaMonte Trayanum plowed into the end zone with one second left, a touchdown that survived review before turning into a dagger.
“It’s up to us,” Freeman said. “We have to do better.”
The Irish appeared to be playing without a fourth defensive lineman on both snaps, which would have been taken over by Jordan Botelho or another Vyper defensive end. Notre Dame ran out of timeouts and Freeman struggled to explain when the Irish failed to convert a penalty to put a complete defense on the field in the most important game of the season.
Taking an offside penalty for a substitution violation would not have cost Notre Dame distance since the ball was already at the 1-yard line. Instead, it would have reset the defense.
“Everything happened quickly,” said nickel Thomas Harper. “I’m trying to do my job and get the call. In this situation we have to do better, players and coaches.” – Sampson
Notre Dame’s missed fourth-down opportunities
On the first four-down attempt, Notre Dame attempted to penetrate strong personnel and hit a play-action pass. A Hartman scramble ensued, with the chains seemingly moving, only to get the referees to review the point and force the Irish back. On its second attempt in the fourth, Notre Dame rushed to the line of scrimmage and grabbed a quarterback sneak that Ohio State linebacker Tommy Eichenberg tracked down, resulting in another stop.
Two series. No points. In a 3-point game.
“I mean, any time we go over 50, I’m probably going to go for it on the 4th and 1,” Freeman said. “You play the percentages. Either you’re going to be all in and make it or you’re not. Of course, if you don’t understand it, it’s terrible. But the percentages show a fourth and one, beyond 50, you have to try because of the percentage you get.”
Hartman was under pressure on the first try about what he could have done differently.
“Yes, if I had landed first, it would have been better there,” he said. “I’m not sure. Maybe you can let me know.”
One change would have been to lean on Notre Dame’s star running back Audric Estime, but in any case, offensive coordinator Gerad Parker deviated from the Irish’s strengths by perhaps thinking too much about the play-action pass (which it wasn’t case) and therefore became too cute with the rush-up sneak.
In the end, both plays cost Notre Dame dearly as the game had every chance of being won. The first failed in the first quarter at the Ohio State 18-yard line and the second failed in the third quarter at the Buckeyes’ 39-yard line.
“Execute a little better, find a better hole, get out a little better,” Hartman said. “It’s a different ball game, get the first ball and the drive continues.” – Sampson
Ohio State and the QB question
When was the last time Ohio State didn’t have an elite quarterback? There has been some concern from Buckeyes supporters that this year could be the first time in a long time that the team would be without a quarterback who could win. But in the third game of McCord’s tenure as Ohio State’s starter, he led a 65-yard touchdown drive in the final 90 seconds of the game. Ohio State faced a third-and-10, a fourth-and-7 and a third-and-19 during the game-winning drive, and McCord converted them all.
Although McCord didn’t finish the game with 400 yards and four touchdowns, he did when his team needed him most. He showed poise on the road after Notre Dame took all the momentum. Simply put: he won. Ohio State has discovered a lot about the quarterback who has propelled this program forward. And what they found was remarkable. – Aquarius
Climax of the game
Required reading
(Photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images)