What They’re Saying Following Ohio State’s Win Over Notre Dame

Local and national pundits react to the Buckeyes’ 21-10 victory over the Fighting Irish on Saturday.

Ohio State opened the season with a 21-10 victory over fifth-ranked Notre Dame on Saturday night in front of 106,594 fans at Ohio Stadium.

The Buckeyes were led offensively by quarterback C.J. Stroud, who completed 24-of-34 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns, including one to fifth-year senior and former walk-on wide receiver Xavier Johnson.

Defensively, redshirt junior linebacker Tommy Eichenberg recorded a team-high nine tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks, while redshirt freshman defensive tackle Michael Hall added four tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack.

With that said, local and national college football analysts shared some of their thoughts on the game, and BuckeyesNow has compiled some of the best reactions below:

Barrett Sallee, CBS Sports

“The Buckeyes didn't cover vs. Notre Dame, but that was not the most important development on Saturday in Columbus, Ohio. The much-maligned defense held the Fighting Irish to just 253 yards, 3-of-13 on third downs and just 12 total first downs in the debut of new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. The offense will come around (and did late in the game), but the defensive performance shows that this team is for real.”

Bill Bender, The Sporting News

“’Tressel Ball’ returned to Columbus like it never went out of style. The Buckeyes beat the Irish with a mix of defense, special teams and a withering fourth-quarter ground attack. Johnson, Miyan Williams and Hall were the out-of-nowhere-stars that will resonate in Buckeyes' folklore after yet another victory against the Irish.”

Shehan Jeyarajah, CBS Sports

“(Ohio State) needed a handful of miraculous plays from quarterback Stroud down the stretch to create any offense against Notre Dame. Granted, the Buckeyes had the toughest matchup of the weekend, but they looked eminently mortal following the injury to star wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Notre Dame's defense dictated the game for much of the night. 

“There's a chance Ohio State can grow out of these struggles, especially as Jim Knowles' defense gets more comfortable. However, any notion that Ohio State is a flawless title contender in the vein of Alabama or Georgia looks wishful so far.”

David M. Hale, ESPN

“(Alabama quarterback Bryce) Young's closest competition for this year's Heisman Trophy delivered a stirring drive to save Ohio State from a near upset. Stroud spent much of Saturday night frustrated by Notre Dame's stout defense, but with the game on the line, the QB came up big.

“Stroud helped engineer a 14-play, 95-yard drive touchdown drive that chewed up nearly seven minutes in the fourth quarter, and the Buckeyes topped the Fighting Irish 21-10.”

Ralph D. Russo, Associated Press

“Smith-Njigba, last seen setting Rose Bowl records, finished with two catches for 3 yards. The Buckeyes boast receiver room filled with blue-chippers, but it was Johnson, a fifth-year senior and former walk-on, who caught the go-ahead touchdown. Johnson followed up his first career touchdown with a big tackle on the ensuing kickoff.”

Jonathan Alfano, Clutch Points

“(TreVeyon) Henderson was always going to be one of the best running backs in the country this season. He put up insane numbers as a freshman last year, with 1,248 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground. Coming into this season, many expected Henderson to be even better in his second go around.

“The sophomore back didn’t a ton of touches against the Irish, but he made them count. Henderson rushed 15 times for 91 yards, averaging over six yards per carry. Those aren’t mind-blowing stats, but he did what he needed to all the same.

“However, another Buckeyes running back showed out last night as well. Williams, a third-year back from Cincinnati, ran 14 times for 84 yards and a touchdown. He also caught a pass for 12 yards as just a cherry on top.

“Ohio State’s offense was already dangerous enough with one elite back, so just imagine it with two of them. The sample size may be small, but if both can maintain and build their production, the Buckeyes will be very hard to stop.”

Stephen Means, Cleveland.com

“A year ago, Ohio State’s defensive coaching staff spent the first week playing every player you could think of in a season-opening 45-31 win at Minnesota. A lack of experience and abundance of youth meant having to learn on the fly who the best players were. What a difference a year makes.

“Larry Johnson’s got plenty of depth on the defensive line, but in the game’s biggest moments, he went with his best guys regardless of age. That often meant relying on the sophomore class of Hall, Jack Sawyer, J.T. Tuimoloau and Tyleik Williams.

At linebacker, it meant never taking Eichenberg off the field as the Mike linebacker, while Steele Chambers and Cody Simon split time at Will linebacker.

“Denzel Burke and Cameron Brown never came off the field at cornerback, and neither did Ronnie Hickman as the Adjuster safety. Tanner McCalister played most of the game at nickel safety, while Cameron Martinez played in spurts.

“Then there’s Lathan Ransom, the safety who quickly worked his way back from injury, who’s had defensive coordinator Knowles gushing over him all fall. He came in for Josh Proctor after one series at the Bandit safety, then never came back off the field.

“It seems OSU knows who its best players are, and each of them is living up to that title for a unit trying to redeem itself after two bad seasons.”

Richard Johnson, Sports Illustrated

“It took a while for Ohio State to get going, with it featuring a clunky offense for most of the game thanks in part to a first-half injury to Smith-Njigba, but in the second half the Buckeyes tweaked things and began to assert themselves on the ground—particularly on a 10-play, 95 yard drive that featured 10 runs and only four passes. Ohio State’s defense also stood tall in a huge credit to new coordinator Jim Knowles. His defensive restructuring will be key if the Bucks plan to make a title run this season.”

Phil Harrison, BuckeyesWire

“Coming into this one, and mostly through the Ryan Day era, Ohio State has forged a perception that it can be bullied. And the thing is, Michigan, Oregon, and even Nebraska, showed that that might have been true last year.

“However, against very physical lines on both sides, the Buckeyes had to pull its britches up in this one. With the Fighting Irish forcing Ohio State to be patient and work for everything on offense, OSU had to be physical and even sealed the deal with some hard, clutch runs by Williams, as he starred on a game-clinching fourth-quarter.”

Bill Landis, Dotting The Eyes

“Ohio State probably wanted to be known as something more than a throw-first, sometimes thrown-only, 7-on-7 team that can't win when games turn physical. Front-running, finesse, soft — any of those words would have been fair criticisms of Day’s team last year. Had the Buckeyes played like that against Notre Dame, they likely would have left Ohio Stadium with a loss.

“The 2021 Ohio State team was not equipped to win a game like Saturday’s. Against the more rugged, physical teams, the teams that managed to take the air out of the ball a bit and force the game to be played in a bandbox, the Buckeyes were not always game. Winning in the fashion it did on Saturday guarantees them nothing moving forward, but it was an improvement for a team that too often couldn’t set the terms up front when everything wasn’t going their way, particularly on offense.

“It’s a win that should pay dividends down the road.”

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