Game To Watch: #5 Notre Dame at #2 Ohio State: September 3, 2022

Notre Dame will make the trip to Columbus to play Ohio State this Saturday at 7:30 EST. Marcus Freeman took over at Notre Dame before the Bowl Game last season and will take on his alma mater in his first game of the 2022 season. The Buckeyes failed to win the Big Ten or qualify for the College Football Playoff for the first time in the Ryan Day era last season, they are looking to start strong as they aim to achieve those goals this year. The two top five teams and College Football Playoff contenders will look to take the first step towards their lofty goals this Saturday.

Recent History

Ohio State has won four of the six games played between these two teams. Notre Dame’s wins came in 1935 and 1936, while Ohio State has held the edge of late winning all four meetings since 1995. The most recent match-up was in 2016, a 44 – 28 Ohio State win in the Fiesta Bowl. There is limited history between the two teams on the field, but they recruit against one another often and Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman played his college ball at Ohio State, adding another layer to this match-up.

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What To Watch For…

Ohio State’s New Look Defense

Ohio State’s defense has been the weak link on the team the last two seasons and has gotten progressively worse over that span. By the end of last season it was clear the Buckeyes could not stop the run and gave up too many big plays in the passing game. Ryan Day gutted the entire defensive coaching staff, only retaining defensive line coach Larry Johnson. As part of the turnover he hired new defensive coordinator, Jim Knowles who led an excellent defense at Oklahoma State last year.

Notre Dame played Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl in Marcus Freeman’s first game as head coach last year, a 37 – 35 loss for the Irish. Though Knowles did not coach that game, the Cowboys were still running the scheme they had run all year. That game gave a preview for Notre Dame of what they might see on Saturday, but probably not the whole picture. For one, Knowles was not calling the defense and was not making the adjustments. Secondly, while Ohio State’s defense was bad the last two years there is no doubt there is a lot of talent on the roster which will make Knowles’ job easier. Nonetheless, Notre Dame will be somewhat familiar with the defensive scheme they see.

The first big test for Ohio State is going to be stopping the run. Notre Dame has a powerful offensive line that can wear a defense down and a running threat at quarterback, the Buckeyes have to be solid at the point of attack and sound in their run fits. Ohio State was terrible stopping the run against Oregon and Michigan last year, often getting caught out of position or losing contain, if Notre Dame can run the ball they won’t need to put it in the air much. The Buckeyes have plenty of talent on the defensive side of the ball, the scheme last year limited what those players could do. Notre Dame is a good test right off the bat to see if the new scheme can capitalize on that talent under Jim Knowles.

Notre Dame Replacing Key Offensive Players

While Ohio State is installing a new defensive scheme, Notre Dame is retooling at the skill positions on offense. The offensive line returns plenty of talent and experience. Additionally, all-world tight end Michael Mayer is back. The Irish did however, lose their top passer, Jack Coan, top rusher, Kyren Williams and top two wide receivers, Kevin Austin Jr and Avery Davis (who suffered a season ending injury). That experience and production is not easy to replace, but Notre Dame has some talented players stepping in to attempt the task.

At quarterback, sophomore Tyler Buchner will take over. He played in ten games last year and only attempted 35 passes, but is a true dual threat quarterback who impressed with his running ability. Junior Chris Tyree will get his turn at running back, he has world class speed and can break the big run at any time, but only averaged 3.96 yards per carry last year. At wide receiver, Lorenzo Styles and Braden Lenzy will need to step up. They flashed last year and should have space to work with thanks to Mayer drawing plenty of attention from the secondary. The Notre Dame offense has a new look personnel wise and skill set wise, so naturally they will look different in 2022 than 2021. The quarterback run will be a bigger threat, and the speed of Tyree, Styles and Lenzy will be featured. It will be interesting to see how the offense gels week one and how different it is from last season.

Will Ohio State Keep CJ Stroud Clean?

There is no doubt that Ohio State has one of the best offenses in the country. CJ Stroud, TreVeyon Henderson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba return to lead a unit that was best in the country at 7.96 yards per play a year ago. The only time the offense ran into trouble was when they could not protect their quarterback. This was most evident in the Michigan game, the Buckeyes gave up four sacks and many more pressures keeping the offense out of rhythm. Thayer Munford and Nicholas Petit-Frere were mainstays on the offensive line and both have moved on, so a reshaped offensive line will have to do better in 2022.

Paris Johnson has kicked out from guard to his natural tackle spot and has the potential to be a star left tackle, it remains to be seen if he’s ready to do it right away. He and Dawand Jones will man the tackle spots. Luke Wypler returns at center, but will be paired with two new starting guards. The line will be tested week one by a Notre Dame defense that was 12th in the country with 41 sacks a year ago. Star defensive end, Isaiah Foskey, is an excellent pass rusher who will test the Buckeye’s tackles early and often. If the offensive line can protect CJ Stroud, there is little any defense can do to stop the Ohio State offense, but if Notre Dame can get to the quarterback they will have a chance to slow down the Buckeye’s offensive machine.

Prediction

Season openers are tough, because teams generally show some rust early on. Ohio State’s offense would seem to have the advantage here with a returning quarterback and key weapons. Notre Dame will make it tough to move the ball at times, but Ohio State’s offensive talent is too good to keep contained for four quarters. Notre Dame’s offense will present some challenges for a new Ohio State defense that is playing in this scheme for the first time, but it’s tough to ask a first time starter to go on the road and keep up with the Buckeyes’ high powered offense. Ohio State 38 Notre Dame 24.

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