No. 2 Ohio State battled back from a lethargic first half and an injury to one of their most impactful wide receivers and ultimately beating No. 5 Notre Dame, 21-10, in a thrilling season opener Saturday night.
Buckeyes head coach, Ryan Day, earned the “ugly” win and despite the sluggish offense, he got something else he was searching for.
“That was something we spent a lot of time in the offseason saying, ‘We have to be able to win ugly on offense, we have to stop the run on defense,'” Day said. “They all count the same. And you have to figure out based on who you’re going against, how do you want to win that game? When you have that versatility, man, it’s going to pay off down the road.”
Ohio States’ offense, which was very prolific a season ago, obtaining the No. 1 ranking in the nation in efficiency, completely underwhelmed Saturday, compared to the lofty preseason expectations and goals from within the program that pegged the Buckeyes as a strong contender to be there at the end of the College Football Playoffs. With leading wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba sidelined due to an injury he sustained in the opening quarter, Ohio State failed to find their rhythm in the early going against a hard-nosed Notre Dame defense.
The Fighting Irish, led by well respected rookie coach Marcus Freeman, a former Ohio State linebacker, came into the “Horseshoe”, before a crowd of 106,594, which included former Ohio State quarterback Joe Borrow, gave the Buckeyes all they could handle until late in the final frame. Ohio State, who had a margin of victory average of 29.1 points per game in 2021, was held to a goose egg in the second quarter and was behind 10-7, going into the locker room.
Things did not change until less than five minutes were remaining in the fourth quarter, when Ohio State finally pulled away, thanks in large part to a 14-play, 95-yard drive, that took 7:06 off the clock and gave the Buckeyes a 21-10 advantage.
“We were struggling early on, just trying to get a connection, trying to build that rhythm, but towards the end, we started to get it, started clicking more,” said Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud, who completed 24 of 34 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns. “It’s kind of weird being out there again, to be honest, seeing the fans, dealing with all of the outside noise, just trying to lock in.”
In the fourth quarter, Stroud completed 90% of his passes (9 of 10), for 107 yards and a touchdown. While the performance was not exactly picturesque or Heisman Trophy-worthy, he showed what he could do, especially playmaking when it counted most.
Ohio State came into this season as the No.2 team after losing to their biggest rival Michigan and ending up No. 6 because of the offensive dominance returning from a team that led the nation in scoring and yards per play last season. The Buckeyes have a plethora of Heisman hopefuls, including Stroud and running back TreVeyon Henderson, but when Smith-Njigba was injured in the first quarter, the Buckeyes were off-kilter early. Last year, Ohio State averaged 27.2 points per game in the first 30 minutes of action, the most of any program in the FBS. The Buckeyes had seven Saturday night.
“Early games are a little bit clunky,” Day said, “and losing Jaxon threw us off a little bit.”
The defensive side of the football, which left a lot to be desired last year for Ohio State, was the highlight of the contest on Saturday. It was a strong debut for first-year defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who was hired from the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The Irish finished with 253 yards of total offense and punted on their last six possessions.
“We were called soft all last year, and we had to sit there and just eat,” Ohio State defensive back Lathan Ransom said.
Day stated toughness and physical play was something the entire team was looking to prove.
“We wanted to be known as something other than just talented,” he said.
Notre Dame’s game plan going into Saturday was to control time of possession and keep the Buckeyes up-tempo offense off the field. The Irish were able to sustain that in the first quarter, but they finished with just 3 of 13 third-down conversions.
Day said that he could see other opponents trying to do a similar game plan this fall, but that he is not worried about the passing game going forward. In the end, there were other complimentary players who stepped up for Ohio State, including former walk-on Xavier Johnson, whose 24-yard touchdown reception gave Ohio State the lead, 14-10, late in the third quarter.
“I love these guys,” Johnson said, “so with my legs empty, with all that, none of that mattered. It was all for the team and the glory of God. “I was in position to do what I was coached to do.”
At the end of the game, they all were, even if it wasn’t pretty.
“It’s been a huge emphasis to win this way,” Day said. “And it starts with defense. You can play really good, strong defense like we played tonight, and we can run the football — we know we’ll throw the ball, we know that — but if we want to go where we need to be and reach our goals, we need to be able to do those two things.”
