Ohio State completed the home and home sweep of Notre Dame on Saturday night thanks to late-game magic. 

All eyes were on the Buckeyes and Irish in a top-ten matchup, and the game lived up to the hype.

After a slow offensive first half for both sides, Ohio State cashed in a field goal for a 3-0 halftime lead. A fourth down stand for the Buckeyes on the first drive of the second half, followed by a 61-yard touchdown run by running back TreVeyon Henderson, had Buckeye fans feeling good up 10-0.   

However, Notre Dame’s ground attack began to dominate, and the Irish scored touchdowns on their next two possessions, giving the home team a 14-10 lead in the fourth quarter. 

Needing a stop late, Ohio State finally forced a significant negative play; setting up a critical defensive stop would give Ohio State one more chance at victory.

With 1:26 and one timeout left, Ohio State’s drive started slow, but the Buckeyes found a rhythm and got inside the red zone with under 30 seconds to go. 

However, an intentional grounding call set them up with a third and 19 at the 22-yard line with 15 seconds left.

Quarterback Kyle McCord made what may have been the biggest throw of his Buckeye career when he hit wide receiver Emeka Egbuka for a 21-yard gain to get Ohio State to the one-yard line. After spiking the ball with seven seconds and an incompletion, the Buckeyes were left with three seconds, giving them time for one play to gain a yard to win. 

Coach Ryan Day called a handoff to Arizona State transfer running back Chip Trayanum, a converted linebacker, and he barely crossed the goal line with a second left to win the game 17-14.

        Many people had doubts about The Buckeyes coming into the game, saying they aren’t as good as previous Ohio State teams; however, picking up a massive road win over a top-ten team proves they are still a playoff contender.

Play-calling was still evidently an issue for the Buckeyes. Towards the end of the first half, the Ohio State offense faced a fourth and goal at the one-yard line. 

Electing to throw the ball, Ohio State ran a play-action pass and sent out three tight ends and a running back as their pass-catchers on the play. Not one receiver from possibly the best-receiving core in the nation, headlined by Marvin Harrison Jr., was on the field, which resulted in an incomplete pass and missed opportunity.

What many fans believe to be the worst play call of the game from Ryan Day was his call on fourth and inches at the Notre Dame 11-yard line. The Buckeyes were down four with a little over four minutes left and needed a half-yard for the first down. 

After burning a timeout to think it over, the decision was to hand the ball off to Emeka Egbuka on a sweep, and the Irish were all over it, stopping Egbuka short of the first down.

Despite the questionable play calling at times, Ohio State did prove they still have the on-field talent to compete with just about anyone. McCord did not have a huge game statistically, but he did make some impressive throws, none more than the 21-yard pass on third and 19 with 15 seconds left.

As for the defense, they played sufficiently but were not great. The scoreboard doesn’t quite show how Notre Dame moved the ball easily at times. 

Notre Dame had two failed fourth downs in Ohio State territory and a missed field goal, so they certainly had their missed opportunities to match those of The Buckeyes.

The secondary didn’t have any major blown coverages, and the man coverage looks improved from last year. The defensive line had difficulty getting past the elite Irish offensive line, recording no sacks and appearing worn out in the second half as the Irish began to run the ball easily. 

Notre Dame had just over 50 rushing yards in the first half but finished the game with 176, picking up over 120 yards on the ground in the second half.

Looking ahead, the Buckeyes will have this week off before they take on Maryland at home. 

The Irish will be playing at the location of College GameDay for the second week in a row as they hit the road and head to Durham, North Carolina, to take on the 4-0, No. 17 Blue Devils of Duke.

Demetri Manousos is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].