COLUMBUS, Ohio — When C.J. Stroud started to find some rhythm in the middle of the first quarter, it could have been the start of a long night for Notre Dame’s defense.
Ohio State’s star quarterback didn’t need many chances to score the game’s first touchdown on his team’s second drive. A pass-interference penalty on Notre Dame cornerback Cam Hart, trying to cover wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, put Ohio State into Irish territory.
Two plays later, Stroud found Egbuka open for a 31-yard touchdown pass on third-and-6. The high-flying Ohio State offense appeared to find its wings.
But No. 2 Ohio State’s 21-10 victory over No. 5 Notre Dame didn’t follow the script many expected Saturday night. The Buckeyes couldn’t blow out the Irish and used a physical turnaround late in the second half to take over the game.
These six plays defined how Ohio State managed to muscle its way to victory in the season opener.
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1. Xavier Johnson’s 24-yard touchdown reception
Notre Dame’s defense played so well for the better part of three quarters in Ohio Stadium. But one wrong play call with poor execution handed the Buckeyes the lead.
The Irish had already given up a 10-yard completion from Stroud to wide receiver Xavier Johnson on second-and-21. That still left Notre Dame in good position to defend a third-and-11 play at the 24-yard line. Instead, defensive coordinator Al Golden dialed up a double safety blitz that put Notre Dame in a difficult spot.
No. 1 nickelback TaRiq Bracy had just left the field with an apparent leg issue after the previous play. That resulted in freshman cornerback Jaden Mickey being lined up to defend Johnson in the slot. Johnson ran a post route to the middle of the field left vacant by blitzing safeties Brandon Joseph and Ramon Henderson, and ran open into the end zone for Stroud to hit him.
Joseph and Henderson didn’t make a positive impact on the play for Notre Dame at all. Because they didn’t show blitz early by getting close to the line of scrimmage before the snap, neither was within five yards of him when Stroud threw the ball. Of Notre Dame’s six pass rushers on the play, only vyper end Isaiah Foskey was able to get close to Stroud, but he didn’t impact the throw enough.
It was a head-scratching decision, a predictable result, and a turning point for Ohio State.
2. Matt Salerno’s offensive pass interference
Notre Dame wide receiver Matt Salerno, a former walk-on, made a circus catch on the first play of the second quarter to jump-start the only touchdown drive of the game for the Irish. When quarterback Tyler Buchner tried to connect with him again on the second play of the fourth quarter, the result was much worse.
The Irish ended the third quarter two plays earlier with a 32-yard completion from Buchner to wide receiver Braden Lenzy. Then running back Chris Tyree picked up 14 yards to keep the momentum rolling into Ohio State territory.
Notre Dame tried to sneak Salerno down the left sideline on a play-action pass, but cornerback Cameron Brown wasn’t fooled and ran with Salerno step-for-step. As Brown looked back for the ball, Salerno kept trying to fight through him and was flagged for interference.
The moment was a microcosm of Notre Dame’s wide receiver struggles. The Irish couldn’t count on any wide receiver to make more than one play for Buchner. Lorenzo Styles caught a 54-yard pass on the opening drive but wasn’t heard from again. Lenzy and Salerno each had one reception. Tight end Michael Mayer caught five passes but was limited to 32 yards.
The preseason concern of Notre Dame lacking consistent playmakers at wide receiver wasn’t solved in the season opener.
3. Tyler Buchner’s two-yard keeper on third-and-18
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman identified three keys to victory against Ohio State: control the clock, limit Ohio State’s offensive possessions and run the football.
That meant Freeman was OK with offensive coordinator Tommy Rees prioritizing protecting the football with a first-time starting quarterback. The mindset appeared to lead to conservative running plays for the Irish offense — even when there should have been a bit more urgency.
“We knew weren’t going to try to outscore them,” Freeman said of some of the run-first play calling. “We were going to have a plan to try to control the ball, run the ball, keep the clock running and limit their offensive possessions.”
The worst running decision had to be Buchner’s quarterback keeper on third-and-18 at Ohio State’s 49-yard line in the fourth quarter. Buchner might have no one to blame but himself. He appeared to check the play before the ball was snapped, and he seemingly had the option to throw a screen pass to Tyree to the wide side of the field. He took one step back and then immediately tucked the football and ran with it.
Maybe it was the original play call. Maybe Buchner saw a look he liked. Regardless of the why, it was a poor decision with poor execution that had little chance of making a serious dent in the third-down yardage. If Buchner made that call himself, he’s not going to like what he sees on film.
4. C.J. Stroud’s 12-yard completion to Miyan Williams on third-and-3
Notre Dame may have been able to withstand Buchner’s blunder if it wasn’t for Stroud and running back Miyan Williams. Stroud provided a reminder of why he was a Heisman Trophy finalist last season with a clutch throw to keep Ohio State’s final touchdown drive alive.
Notre Dame defensive end Rylie Mills put pressure in Stroud’s face, which forced the quarterback to spin and roll out to his left. With Mills giving chase and linebacker Jack Kiser abandoning his coverage responsibility to put more pressure on him as he neared the sidelined, Stroud slowed down just enough to throw an accurate pass to Williams coming back to him along the sideline.
Williams was able to keep a foot in before he slid out of bounds while securing the catch. It was excellently executed by both Stroud and Williams.
“He hit three or four of those as he’s going out of bounds,” Freeman said of Stroud. “I’m looking at him and in my mind, I’m saying, ‘There’s no way that’s a completion.’ It ends up being a completion. Hats off to him. There’s a reason why he’s a Heisman Trophy candidate. He’s a heck of a football player.”
5. Miyan Williams’ 11-yard run on first-and-15
Notre Dame caught the break it needed to try to get Ohio State’s offense off the field late in the fourth quarter. Right tackle Dawand Jones was flagged for a false start to set the Buckeyes back with a first-and-15.
Williams quickly dug Ohio State out of that hole with an 11-yard run. The 5-foot-9, 225-pound Williams followed that with runs of 15 and 12 yards before finishing the drive with a two-yard touchdown to put the Buckeyes up 21-10 with 4:51 left.
“They had four rushing big plays in the fourth quarter,” Freeman said. “That is a heartbreaker for a defense. If you’re giving up big plays to an offense when they’re running the ball, that kills a defense. We have to be able to finish and execute in the fourth quarter.”
Williams finished with 14 carries for 84 yards to complement starting running back TreVeyon Henderson’s 15 carries for 91 yards.
“Miyan had a really good preseason,” said Ohio State head coach Ryan Day. “To see him run like this was great for him. Those are 84 hard-earned yards.”
6. Michael Hall Jr.’s sack of Tyler Buchner on ND’s final offensive play
Notre Dame’s offensive line could have been warned about defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr. if the Ohio State offensive line wanted to share its own scouting report.
“He’s just been totally disruptive during camp,” said Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. “We get feedback from our offensive linemen. We have a great relationship with those guys. They’ll tell you how difficult he is.”
Hall disrupted Notre Dame’s offense plenty with four tackles, two tackles for a loss and one sack. His sack of Buchner on third down forced the Irish into a three-and-out after Ohio State extended its lead to 11 points. Hall squeezed between right guard Josh Lugg and right tackle Blake Fisher on a stunt to break free and swallow Buchner for an 11-yard loss.
It was a fitting end to a disappointing performance for Notre Dame’s offensive line, which allowed six tackles for a loss and three sacks. The Irish played without three-year starter and AP Preseason All-America first-team member Jarrett Patterson at left guard. His sprain right foot wasn’t in a good enough position for Patterson to give it a go after warmups Saturday.
Junior offensive lineman Andrew Kristofic replaced Patterson in the starting lineup.
“When you don’t have an All-American out there, there’s not just a physical loss, but there’s the mental and emotional loss that you lose with not having an All-American, a two-year captain on the field,” Freeman said of the void without Patterson. “I’m proud of those young guys. I’m proud of Kristofic. I think (Michael) Carmody got in there and played well. We’ll learn from it.
“If you can’t handle having a loss of one guy, then we’re not going to be able to win as many games as we want.”
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