Failure to Execute Costs Notre Dame Late in 17-14 Loss to Ohio State
Ohio State’s 233-pound running back Chip Trayanum extended his body forward, keeping his knees straight, as he lurched the ball an inch or two across the goal line for a 1-yard go-ahead score with 0:01 left in the fourth quarter.
Moments later, No. 9 Notre Dame (4-1) failed to pull off a miracle with a series of laterals. The Fighting Irish fell, 17-14, coming up short in their upset bid of No. 6 Ohio State (4-0) for the second year in a row.
“We’ve got a good football team,” Freeman said. “At times, we showed it today versus a really good football team. To be on the losing side, it hurts. It stings. But we’ve got to own it and we’ve got to learn from it and we’ve got to get back to work.”
In a game that came down to one second and an inch, the Fighting Irish repeatedly failed to execute late. That includes on Traynum’s touchdown when a fourth defensive lineman was missing from the field.
Instead, Notre Dame defended Ohio State’s final two offensive plays with 10 men on the field, which occurred following Freeman using his final timeout.
“It's on us,” Freeman said. “We got to be better.”
The Irish coaching staff failed to notice it before it was too late.
“We were trying to get a fourth D-line man on the field,” Freeman said, “and I told him just stay off because we can't afford a penalty. I didn't have any time-outs.”
Of course, there were other moments that could’ve won Notre Dame the game. On Ohio State’s 15-play, 65-yard go-ahead touchdown drive that took 1:25 off the clock, the Buckeyes converted on 3rd and 10, 4th and 7 and 3rd and 19.
Safety DJ Brown also dropped an interception with 51 seconds that would’ve sealed an Irish victory.
On offense, the Irish went away from a productive rush attack when up 14-10 with less than four minutes remaining and enabled Ohio State to save precious timeouts that came in handy in the game’s final seconds.
For instance, quarterback Sam Hartman was hoping for a big play when he nearly threw an interception to OSU defensive end JT Tuimoloau on a wide receiver screen on 2nd and 15.
“Let's play to win this game. So, that's what we did,” Freeman said, “and a second down screen is almost as good as a run. But, obviously, it was tipped. The kid made a great play and the clock stopped and we ran it on third and made them use a timeout.”
Big Picture
Notre Dame played well enough to win on both sides of the ball. In the end, it came down to a failure to capitalize on key plays or in decisive moments.
“I don't want to take anything from Ohio State and their victory,” coach Marcus Freeman said, “but we did not play as well as we could have. And that's the disappointing thing.”
The defense allowed the Buckeyes to covert 10 of 17 third down attempts (58.8%) and failed to force a turnover. The pass rush recorded just one sack and three quarterback hurries against an inexperienced Ohio State offensive line.
Notre Dame also gave up a 61-yard touchdown run to Buckeye running back TreVeyon Henderson. Coming into the game, they hadn't given up a gain of 40+ yards, but Ohio State produced two on Saturday.
On offense, the Irish failed to score on three trips inside the Ohio State 40-yard line, which included a missed 41-yard field goal from kicker Spencer Shrader and two failed 4th-and-1 conversions.
The Irish ran the ball effectively, rushing the ball 36 times for 176 yards, but picked up an insignificant 2.4 yards per carry in the first quarter.
Hartman went 17-25 for 175 yards and a touchdown, but he was taken out of the game in the second quarter, failing to throw a completion on three pass attempts.
Down, Not Out
A close loss to the nation’s sixth-ranked team likely won’t end an Irish bid for the college football playoffs, though it does for them to trudge up a steeper path toward the sport’s mountain top.
“We've still got a lot of season ahead of us,” defensive back Thomas Harper said, “and we can still do all of the things we can hope to accomplish.”
For the rest of the season, Notre Dame can’t afford another loss, putting extra pressure on the Oct. 14 home matchup against No. 5 USC.
The Irish will also need to pick up style appoints and defeat mid-tier opponents like Pitt, Wake Forest and Louisville by multiple-score margins.
Of course, the biggest challenge will be bouncing back from an emotional, last-second home loss over the course of a week.
What’s Next?
The Irish (4-1) return to the Raliegh-Durham area to face No. 18 Duke (4-0).
The Blue Devils defeated each of their opponents by at least 21 points, which includes upsetting No. 9 Clemson in the season opener, 28-7.
A ranked-road win would do a lot to keep Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff hopes alive, but former Irish defensive coordinator Mike Elko has elevated Duke to new heights.
“We have to move forward,” Freeman said, “because we have to get ready for a good Duke team next week.”