COLUMBUS — Ohio State waited a long time to vanquish the memory of last season.
And while Saturday night’s 21-10 win over 5th-ranked Notre Dame didn’t answer every concern raised by the 2021 campaign, it did salve the wounds of a tough off-season.
“I couldn’t be any prouder of our team and the way our team played, especially in the fourth quarter,” OSU ccoach Ryan Day said. “A lot of people questioned our toughness during the off-season.
“Well, you’ll have to watch the film and make your decision on whether that team was tough tonight.”
The 2nd-ranked Buckeyes are coming off their worst year in a decade. Last season included a blowout loss at double-digit underdog Michigan, failing to win at least a share of the Big Ten East Division for the first time since 2011, and putrid defensive performances against Pac-12 teams Oregon (in a defeat) and Utah (a four-loss team OSU barely survived in the Rose Bowl).
The word soft was affixed to Day’s program like a brand of shame.
“I think coming off last year, there are no big heads,” Day said earlier this week.
Instead, there appears to be a need for hard hats. This win was completely off script compared to the rest of Day’s tenure in Columbus, earmarked by track meets in wins, and ugly football in losses.
The latter looked appeared to be the scenario unfolding for much of the night. OSU struggled mightily on offense when All-American receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was injured in the first quarter, and a 31-yard C.J. Stroud to Emeka Egbuka TD pass was the only points the home team could manage.
Meanwhile, The Fighting Irish struck for a 54-yard gain on the first play from scrimmage, and a roughing-the-passer penalty tacked on 15 more. However, in a marked departure from previous years, the Buckeyes’ defense stood tall under new coordinator Jim Knowles, and allowed just a field goal. A Notre Dame TD in the second quarter gave rookie coach Marcus Freeman’s team a 10-7 edge at intermission.
But the Buckeyes moved back on top late in the third period when Stroud connected with former walk-on Xavier Johnson for a 24-yard TD strike. Ohio State put the game away in the fourth quarter with a 14-play, 95-yard drive that chewed up more than seven minutes. When Miyan Williams plunged in from 2 yards away with 4:51 remaining, it offered an emphatic exclamation point for a team trying to establish its toughness.
“If we have to continue to win games like that, then that’s how we’ll have to win games,” Day said. “When you can win different ways, it says a lot about your team. I think this game will pay dividends down the road.”
Defensively, the Buckeyes looked stout, a welcome sight for a fanbase weary of quality foes feasting on a vulnerable unit.
“We were called soft all last year and we had to sit there and just eat it,” said Ohio State safety Lathan Ransom.
This looked like an encouraging start. The Fighting Irish managed just 72 yards, five first downs and no points in the second half.
“Ohio State’s a really talented team,” said Notre Dame sophomore quarterback Tyler Buchner, who was making his first start. “They’re defense is awesome and you can’t give the ball back to their offense, so when it wasn’t clicking in the second half, it killed us.”
Freeman, a former Ohio State linebacker, saw his squad turn in an admirable defensive effort, too. But the Fighting Irish simply lacked the firepower to respond when it mattered most.
“We battled for two and a half quarters, but then they scored with 17 seconds left in the third and we didn’t respond,” Freeman said. “We didn’t execute late in the game when we had to.
“We had a challenge to win the fourth quarter and we didn’t do that.”
