Ohio State Week 4 Opponent Preview: Notre Dame

After winning in Columbus last season, the Ohio State Buckeyes will look to beat Notre Dame on the road in South Bend.

Harrison Reno | Jun 26, 2023

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Ohio State Buckeyes

The Ohio State Buckeyes will make the trip to South Bend, Ind. to face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in Week 4. It will be the last leg of a home-and-home series that kicked off last season in Columbus, where the Buckeyes beat the Irish 21-10 in the season opener.

Both teams will go into the game without the worry of rust that they may have had if they played in the season opener. By Sept. 23, the Buckeyes will have already faced Indiana, Youngstown State, and Western Kentucky, while the Irish will have seen Navy, Tennessee State, NC State, and Central Michigan.

The 2023 matchup will mark only the eighth time these two programs have faced one another and just the third regular season game hosted between the two. Historically, the Buckeyes have gotten the better of Notre Dame, sporting a 5-2 record all-time while currently riding a five-game winning streak.

Following the Irish's loss to Ohio State in the opener a season ago, year one under coach Marcus Freeman didn’t go quite as planned. Notre Dame finished the season 9-4 with a win over South Carolina in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, which helped the team finish No. 21 overall in the final college football playoff rankings after opening the season No. 5 in the AP poll.

Both teams will take the field with new quarterbacks from a season ago, as the Buckeyes will be starting either Kyle McCord or Devin Brown, with the Fighting Irish looking likely to start Wake Forest transfer Sam Hartman this season.

The then-Demon Deacon threw for 3,701 yards, 38 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions while completing 63.3 percent of his passes last season in 12 games for Wake Forest. Hartman added just another 102 yards and a touchdown with his legs.

While Hartman will be the most experienced quarterback on the field in South Bend, it was the Buckeyes' defense that played a major role in beating Notre Dame last season. After being down 10-7 at halftime, it wasn't until a third-quarter touchdown right before the start of the fourth quarter that helped the Buckeyes see past the Irish.

After a 24-yard pass from C.J. Stroud to Xavier Johnson got the Buckeyes in the endzone in the third quarter, it was a Miyan Williams rushing touchdown that sealed the 21-10 victory.

After holding Notre Dame to just 253 total yards a season ago, the Buckeyes' defense will look to do better in year two under defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.