This Saturday night, the no. 9 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish will face their toughest test yet when they travel to Columbus to take on the no. 6 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.
Notre Dame comes into the match up 4-0, having defeated Navy, Tennessee State, NC State and Central Michigan. However, OSU will be the first ranked opponent the Irish have played this season. Notre Dame is led by graduate transfer quarterback Sam Hartman, who has thrown for over 1,000 yards and an FBS-leading 13 touchdowns so far. The Irish ground game features running back Audric Estime, who has racked up 521 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns.
Defensively, Notre Dame boasts playmakers like junior cornerback Benjamin Morrison, who earned Freshman All-American honors last season after leading the Irish with 6 interceptions. The Fighting Irish defense has been stout so far, ranking 4th nationally by allowing just 234.2 yards per game.
Meanwhile, Ohio State is 3-0, with wins against Ohio, Arkansas State and Toledo. The Buckeyes are powered by junior quarterback and Heisman candidate C.J. Stroud, who has thrown for 941 yards and 11 touchdowns already. Ohio State boasts talent at the receiver position, led by junior Jaxon Smith-Njigba and sophomore Emeka Egbuka. The Buckeye ground game features sophomore running back TreVeyon Henderson.
Ohio State’s defense, while talented, has been more porous compared to Notre Dame’s unit so far, ranking 51st nationally in yards allowed per game (355.7). The Buckeyes secondary in particular has proven vulnerable, giving up big passing plays through the first three contests.
This will be the eighth all-time meeting between Notre Dame and Ohio State, with the Buckeyes holding a 5-2 edge in the series. The Irish won the last matchup between the teams last year in Columbus by a score of 21-10. Ohio State has won the previous five meetings prior to that Notre Dame victory.
Notre Dame is 4-0 for the first time since 2002. The Irish hope to avenge their disappointing 24-13 home loss to Cincinnati last year that derailed any championship aspirations. Ohio State looks to avoid going 1-2 for the first time since the 2017 campaign.
This top-10 showdown will come in front of a packed crowd at Ohio Stadium in Columbus. With ESPN’s College Gameday on site, expectations will be high for both programs. The Buckeyes hope home field advantage will provide the edge they need to defend their turf. But the Irish refuse to be intimidated.
It should be an electric atmosphere and hard-fought battle between two talented teams. Tune in Saturday night to see which squad can make the clutch plays in crunch time and emerge victorious in this early season statement game.
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