The battle between two of college football’s all-time winningest programs lived up to the hype as No. 6 Ohio State (4-0) took advantage of No. 9 Notre Dame’s (4-1) questionable play-calling on offense late in the fourth quarter and playing just 10 men on the last two downs of the game, to break the hearts of the Irish faithful with a thrilling 17-14 win.
The game was a defensive slugfest with Ohio State scoring the only three points of the first half. Notre Dame owned the line of scrimmage throughout the game and pulled ahead late but could not keep Ohio State contained in the last 1:28 of the game.
Count to 10?
As was first reported by Fox Sports’ Emmanuel Acho, Notre Dame played the final two downs of the game — you know, when Ohio State scored their winning touchdown — with just 10 men. Not only that but the defensive end missing would have been lined up right where Buckeyes running back DeaMonte Trayanum dove for the winning score.
WAIT! You have to see this!!!
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) September 24, 2023
Notre Dame played with *only 10 players* TWO PLAYS IN A ROW!!!
HOW DO YOU MAKE THIS MISTAKE!!??#OhioStateBuckeyes #NotreDame pic.twitter.com/UK70CMtkYt
After the game, when asked about the huge mistake, Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said they wanted to put the player in but feared getting a penalty.
“Yeah, we were trying to get a fourth D-lineman on the field,” Freeman said, “and I told him just stay off because we can’t afford a penalty. I didn’t have any timeouts, right? So we couldn’t afford a penalty there. You know — yeah, it’s on us. We got to be better.”
Ohio State had the ball at the one-yard line, making any penalty inconsequential. This is one coaching mistake Irish fans will have difficulty living with the rest of the week.
Abandoning the run at the wrong time
Leading 14-10, with 4:12 remaining, a driving Ohio State was stopped on a 4th and 11 giving Notre Dame a huge momentum swing and the opportunity to run down the clock.
On first down, quarterback Sam Hartman completed a 12-yard pass to Rico Flores, to the Notre Dame 23-yard line. Then, Notre Dame continued its second-half run dominance as Audric Estime ran for 11 yards and another first down.
Then, inexplicably, after a Buckeyes timeout with just 2:28 remaining, the Irish lined up in the shotgun and Hartman was sacked for a loss of five yards setting up a 2rd-and-15 from the Notre Dame 29-yard line. Hartman was again lined up in a shotgun formation and under strong pressure from the edge, threw an incomplete pass.
No time came off the clock over two straight downs for Notre Dame which then was flagged for a delay of game call on the punt. The Buckeyes took over on their own 35 after a Bryce McFerson 46-yard punt.
There was just 1:25 remaining and newly installed starting quarterback Kyle McCord led the Ohio State offense to the game-winning touchdown with just one second left on the clock.
It was an absolute gut-punch for Notre Dame and a reaffirming come-from-behind win for Ohio State.
There will be a lot of questions about how Irish head coach Marcus Freeman prepared his team so well for this game, put them in a position to run out the clock and win the game, but failed to close out what would have been the marquee win of his short tenure in South Bend.
Day has choice words for legend Lou Holtz
After the game, a visibly emotional Ohio State coach Ryan Day took issue with what legendary Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz said on the Pat McAffee show Friday.
“…I’d like to know where Lou Holtz is right now,” Day told NBC on the field after the win. “What he said about our team, what he said about our team … I cannot believe. This is a tough team right here. We’re proud to be from Ohio, and it’s always been Ohio Against the World, and it will continue to be Ohio Against the World. But I’ll tell you what: I love those kids, and we’ve got a tough team.”
The comments Day seemed to take the most issue with were those question his ability to win big games and his team’s toughness.
“You look at coach Day,” Holtz said on the McAfee show Friday. “He has lost to Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, and Michigan twice and everybody beats him because they’re more physical than Ohio State.”
Holtz also predicted the game would be a “lunch pail” affair, which turned out to be prophetic as both Ohio State and Notre Dame’s defenses dictated the pace and outcome of the game.
Still, the emotional reaction from Day after the game proves what an epic battle it was and how it was personal to the coach, who now runs his record at Ohio State to 49-6.
McCord earns stripes in first road prime-time game
After being named the starter after the Buckeyes’ first game of the season, McCord didn’t seem shaken or nervous playing in front of a raucus crowd in South Bend.
He finished 24-of-37 for 240 yards with no scores or turnovers. Even under pressure, he made good choices with the ball and protected it well. The more experienced sixth-year senior starter Hartman finished the night 17-of-25 for 175 yards and one touchdown.
Coming in, the broadcast team on NBC talked about the considerable advantage Notre Dame had because Hartman had started 50 games as a college quarterback. But McCord was made for the spotlight as he never had that deer-in-the-headlights look. It appears Ohio State made the right choice and has its starter.
Speed…and skill…kills
There’s no question the Ohio State receiving corps is the best in college football. Although Marvin Harrison, Jr., who hurt his ankle early in the third quarter and finished the game with just three catches for 32 yards, was not his normal dominant self. It was no problem as Emeka Egbuka picked up the slack.
Egbuka was Johnny on the spot all night with big reception after big reception. He finished with seven catches for 96 yards.
Tight end Cade Stover also factored big in the game as he was on the receiving end of three huge first downs for the Buckeyes. Stover caught seven passes for 52 yards.
Irish show they are for real
Despite wilting under the pressure at the end of the game, Notre Dame clearly shows they’re a team to be reckoned with for the rest of the 2023 season.
They dominated time of possession (34:59 to 25:01) and out-rushed the Buckeyes 176-126. That was primarily because their defense went toe-to-toe with one of the nation’s best offenses and their offense was able to grind it out on the ground in the second half.
The coaching error and penalty at the end of the game stick out, but there’s no denying Freeman’s team is on the rise. With two more ranked teams on their remaining schedule, Saturday’s loss might knock them out of playoff contention but it’s not out of the question.
Red zone is costly dead zone early for Notre Dame
Notre Dame started the game moving the ball seemingly at will on the Ohio State defense but failed to capitalize on two trips to the red zone in the first half, which factored from a points total late in the game.
On the first Notre Dame possession of the game, Irish quarterback Sam Hartman drove the team down to the Ohio State 18-yard line where the drive stalled. Going for it on 4th-and-1, he was stopped by the Buckeyes and they took over there.
Then, on their second drive into the Buckeyes territory, Notre Dame wasted a seven-play 39-yard drive when Spencer Shrader missed a 47-yard field goal. The Irish could have led by as much as 14 points or at least by six but failed to cash in.
Ohio State struggled early in the red zone as well as both defenses played a physical and dominating game.
Star-studded day and night in South Bend
Yes, a game like this tends to bring out celebrities from the world of television, film and music, but in South Bend?
In addition to Notre Dame greats Tim Brown, Joe Theisman, Brian Urlacher, and Jerome Bettis, a couple of well-known Hollywood stars were also on hand for the fesitivies and game.
Vince Vaughn, who had his first big movie role in the famous story of Notre Dame walk-on Rudy Ruitegger in the film Rudy (1993), returned to campus to appear on ESPN’s Gameday program and also watched the game from the sideline. Vaughn played the character Jamie O’Hara in the film and wore the letterman’s jacket he wore during the move on Saturday.
Another film and television star was also in attendance as Dean Norris of Breaking Bad fame was also on hand. Norris, a South Bend native, cheered on the Irish and also helped start the game for the NBC broadcast beating a big bass drum to fire up fans at Notre Dame Stadium.
The road ahead for Ohio State and Notre Dame
With Ohio State winning big on the road, they are now in a great position entering the rest of Big 10 conference play. Except for No. 7 Penn State and No. 2 Michigan, the Buckeyes schedule lines up nicely for them to remain in the national championship hunt.
The Irish face two ranked teams as well, starting with No. 18 Duke next week and then rival No. 5 USC at home on October 14. The loss against Ohio State will have them looking from the outside in when it comes to Bowl Championship Series rankings for the college football playoffs, but they could reclaim a spot as the results in a wide-open year could make it possible.
