It was a magical night in Columbus, Ohio. Filled with 106,549 fans ready to cheer for their beloved team. It’s the biggest game of the weekend or probably of Week 1. You also had Lebron James with his son, Bronny, in attendance. Every Buckeye student, parent and fan who was in the building got their money’s worth and went back home with a smile on their faces.
Notre Dame brought a lot of energy and intensity in the first half. They looked great, making plays and their defense showed up. Offensively and defensively, they battled for two and a half quarters. Everything changed from the end of the third quarter to the end of the game. When CJ Stroud threw a 24-yard touchdown to Xavier Johnson to give the Buckeyes a 14-10 lead, the energy got sucked out of Notre Dame. The Irish defense tried to blitz Stroud before the touchdown, but he got rid of the ball in time.
Throughout the whole 4th quarter, it was all Buckeyes style of football. They didn’t allow Notre Dame to regain any confidence. The Buckeyes scored again to extend the lead to 21-10, which turned out to be the final score. The defense and running game is the reason why the Buckeyes won this game. The Buckeyes Defense held Notre Dame’s running game to 76 yards.
Notre Dame’s quarterback Tyler Buchner completed 10 of his 18 passes. He did better in the first half but wasn’t impressive in the second half. Overall, he had a solid performance. It’s only the beginning for the 19-year-old sophomore as we will see more from him in the future.
CJ Stroud finished the game completing 24 of his 34 passes, throwing for 223 yards and two touchdowns. Running backs Miyan Williams and TreVeyon Henderson were contributing factors on offense. Williams ran for 84 yards on 14 carries and Henderson had 91 on 15 attempts.
During the postgame press confidence, I loved CJ’s response to the questions and his usual leadership and unselfishness by praising his teammates who were beside him: wide receiver Xavier Johnson and defensive tackle Mike Hill Jr.
Notre Dame will make their home season debut next week against Marshall. As for Ohio State, they will take on Toledo.
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