Notre Dame Coach Marcus Freeman Praises 'Explosive' Buckeyes Offense

The Fighting Irish are well aware of what the Buckeyes will bring to the table offensively in South Bend on Saturday

Matt Galatzan | Sep 18, 2023

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Ohio State Buckeyes

The Ohio State Buckeyes may have left a lot to be desired through their first two weeks of the season.

In their Week 3 matchup against Western Kentucky, however, things looked much different, with the Buckeyes exploding for 63 points - the majority of which came in the first half.

And ahead of the Bucks showdown with Notre Dame Saturday night in South Bend Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman has taken notice of what the Buckeyes are capable of.

“You’ve seen their offense kind of evolve over the first three games," Freeman said. "It’s explosive, you see a lot of tempo. I think I’ve seen more tempo recently ... It all starts with the run game. They want to run the ball. Very similar mindset to what I have: The ability to run the ball will create openings in the pass game.”

At the center of the Buckeyes offensive explosion was quarterback Kyle McCord, who threw for 318 yards and tossed three touchdowns.

That said, it was the stud receiver duo of Emeka Egbuka and Marvin Harrison Jr. that stole the show on Saturday, combining for nine catches for 183 yards and three touchdowns - a duo that Freeman is keenly aware of ahead of the matchup.

“They’re good players, man. You just gotta turn on the film," Freeman said. "Harrison’s body type, skill set, he can go up and get the ball and he’s a great route runner... Egbuka is the same way. He’s a playmaker.”

The Buckeyes and Irish will kick off at Notre Dame Stadium at 7:30 pm ET, with the game set to be broadcast in prime time on NBC.

Published Sep 18, 2023

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com, AllAggies.com, and the Managing Editor of BuckeyesNow.com and TheGroveReport.com He is also the Editor-In-Chief of RamDigest.com and TexansDaily.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com