Ohio State: Previewing Buckeyes matchup vs. No. 9 Notre Dame

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Games like these only come around so often. Ohio State hasn’t played at Notre Dame since 1996.

It’s the back half of the teams’ home-and-home series, which the Buckeyes kicked off with a 21-10 win last year. That was a top-five matchup. This one’s a top-10, “College GameDay”-featured contest.

No. 6 Ohio State (3-0, 1-0 Big Ten) is getting a No. 9 Notre Dame (4-0) team that’s currently top 15 in scoring offense and scoring defense.

Lettermen Row is taking a deep dive into this year’s Fighting Irish to see what Ohio State will be up against Saturday night in Notre Dame Stadium.

When is Ohio State playing Notre Dame?

Saturday, Sept. 23, 7:30 p.m. E.T.

Where is Ohio State playing Notre Dame?

Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana

Series history

Ohio State leads the all-time series, 5-2. The Buckeyes lost to Notre Dame in 1935 and 1936, but then they rattled off five consecutive victories, the most recent of which was last year’s 21-10, season-opening win. Former preferred walk-on Xavier Johnson scored the go-ahead touchdown in the final seconds of the third quarter, and Ohio State held off the Irish in Marcus Freeman’s first game as Notre Dame’s full-time head coach. The Buckeyes haven’t played Notre Dame on the road since 1996 when then-head coach John Cooper led them to a 29-16 victory. Like the 2022 matchup, that, too, was a top-five showdown.

Ohio State had another top-five matchup versus the Irish during the 2005 season when the Buckeyes beat Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl, 34-20. They also beat the Irish in the Fiesta Bowl, 44-28, in the 2015 season, although that was a top-10 battle. Still, both Ohio State and Notre Dame have been ranked in the top 10 of the AP Poll in each of the teams’ last four meetings. That streak continues this time around.

Breaking down the Fighting Irish

Notre Dame’s Record: 4-0

Offense:Sam Hartman has seemingly raised the ceiling of Notre Dame football. He starred at Wake Forest, where he tossed an ACC-record 110 touchdown passes and threw for the second-most passing yards (12,967) in the all-time ACC record book. Both of those marks are good for top 20 in FBS history, by the way. Anyway, now he’s at Notre Dame for his sixth and final college season. The 24-year-old Hartman has emerged as a Heisman Trophy candidate with 13 touchdown passes, no picks and 1,061 yards through four games. Even though he hasn’t been picked off in the Irish’s pro-style offense, he has 41 career interceptions, including 26 across the last two seasons. Hartman is generally smart with the ball, but his interceptions typically come in bunches.

That was at Wake, though, where he hardly had the talent up front and in the backfield — or, perhaps more importantly, defensively — that he has at Notre Dame. The Irish have one of the best running backs in college football right now in Audric Estimé, a 5-foot-11, 227-pound bulldozer who is second nationally with 130.25 rushing yards per game. Granted an 80-yard run against North Carolina State inflates this number, but Estimé is averaging a whopping 8.3 yards per carry. Estimé is the Irish workhorse, but they have three other backs with more than 15 totes, including true freshman Jeremiyah Love.

That stable of running backs has the benefit of an offensive line that’s en early candidate for the Joe Moore Award, given annually to the best O-Line in the country. It’s a group headlined by first-round NFL Draft prospect Joe Alt, a third-year left tackle who stands 6-foot-8, 322 pounds and hasn’t allowed a pressure through four games, according to Pro Football Focus. Notre Dame likes to pound the rock and then take its shots with the play-action pass. Hartman spreads the ball around: Eight different Irish players have at least five receptions so far this season. He doesn’t really have a No. 1 target, per se, but Jayden Thomas leads the way with 12 grabs. Slot receiver, and converted running back, Chris Tryee is atop the leaderboard with 216 receiving yards. Tyree and Tobias Merriweather are the Irish’s home run threats. Don’t forget about true freshman Jaden Greathouse, who has 10 catches for 126 yards, and tight end Holden Staes, who has four touchdowns this season.

Defense: Al Golden is in his second year as Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator. The strength of his unit is the back seven, which features a strong cornerback pairing of Benjamin Morrison and Cam Hart. Morrison is only a sophomore but already has earned the reputation as one of the top corners in college football right now. Morrison picked off six passes last year, tied for the seventh most by any FBS player in 2022. So far this season, the 6-foot, 185-pound Morrison has conceded four receptions on 11 targets while allowing a mere eight yards after the catch, per PFF, and snagging another interception. Hart, now in his third year as a starter, is a long and physical corner who could have probably been a mid-draft selection this year had he not gotten injured late last season. He’s given up just three catches on 11 targets for 63 yards through four games, according to PFF.

Notre Dame plays with three linebackers, but it has a “nickel” package that includes Thomas Harper. Don’t be surprised if the Buckeyes’ passing attack — tops in the Big Ten at the moment — sees a lot of Morrison-Hart-Harper. The Irish also have a “Spear” package that’s essentially a three-safety dime package: It looks like their nickel setup, except a third safety replaces a linebacker or defensive lineman, often close to the line of scrimmage. But, when in base, Notre Dame’s veteran linebacking corps consists of “Rover” Jack Kiser, WILL Marist Liufau and MIKE JD Bertrand. Golden likes to blitz his ‘backers, especially Liufau, who has a team-high eight pressures, per PFF. Kiser leads the team with 26 total tackles, including 17 solos.

Notre Dame is better against the pass than it is against the run. The Irish entered the week No. 1 nationally in pass defense efficiency and fourth nationally in passing yards allowed per game (126.8). On the other hand, they came into Week 4 ranked 42nd in run defense with 107.5 rushing yards given up per game. Notre Dame is tied for 118th with 4.25 tackles for loss per game but has conceded just one run play of 20 or more yards. In other words, the Irish aren’t blowing up rushing attacks, but they aren’t getting gashed, either. Their four-man front is led by nose guard Howard Cross III, who is third on the team with 16 total tackles. Former Ohio State defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste is Notre Dame’s “Field” end, and Jordan Botelho is its “Vyper” end, or standup defensive end/linebacker hybrid. They have one sack, but 12 pressures, between them.

Special Teams: Notre Dame place kicker Spencer Shrader is in his fifth season but his first with the Irish. Shrader spent the previous four years at USF. He’s off to a 3-of-6 start for Notre Dame. All three of his misses are from 40 yards out. Shrader is 2-of-4 in the 50-59-yard range. Punter Bryce McFerson is averaging 48.8 yards per punt with six boots of 50-plus yards, one punt inside the opponent’s 20-yard line and one touchback. As for the return game, watch for Tyree — he’s averaged 6.5 yards per punt return this season, but the former running back has breakaway speed.

Numbers to know

50 — career starts Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman will have made after this weekend. On the other hand, Buckeyes signal caller Kyle McCord is making his fifth career start Saturday.

33.3% — the Irish’s opponent red zone touchdown percentage this season, a mark that is tied for ninth best in the country. Last year, they were dead last in that department (79.4%).

8 — different Notre Dame players who have at least five receptions this season.

ESPN FPI

The database gives Ohio State a 65.9% chance of beating Notre Dame in Week 4.

Outlook

Notre Dame is looking for a signature win in what has already been a special start to its 2023 season. Ohio State is looking to make a statement that, despite changes at quarterback and on the offensive line, the Buckeyes are still a legit national title contender. The stakes are high in South Bend. It’s the first of Ohio State’s “matchup games” this season. The Buckeyes lost their last two such contests in 2022.