Notre Dame's Offense Can't Overcome Second Quarter Disaster vs. Ohio State
Notre Dame’s offense was all over the place during Monday night’s 34-23 loss to Ohio State.
The Fighting Irish sent a strong message coming out of the gate as Notre Dame took a 7-0 lead following the opening drive as Riley Leonard led an 18-play, 75-yard drive that took 9:45 off the clock.
It was a statement that Notre Dame wasn’t going to bow down to the Buckeyes, but life changes quickly in college football.
In the second quarter, Notre Dame managed just 18 yards of total offense and ran just seven plays. Ohio State took full advantage as they reeled off 21 points and possessed the ball for 11:22.
Leonard carried the ball nine times on the opening drive, but Ohio State made some quick adjustments as he finished with 17 carries for 40 yards.
“They made some adjustments and they’re really good at what they do,” explained Leonard. “He got pretty beat up on the first drive. I had to be mindful as we went through it. The heart to battle, the belief, obviously a pretty emotional locker room for what they’ve been through this season and what they hoped to accomplish today.”
“Offensively, early in the game, we were just way too hit or miss after the first drive. We got behind the sticks on the second drive with penalties. The third drive, we tried to get the passing game going a little bit to take the pressure off the running game and we weren’t as successful as we needed to be.”
There was no doubt Leonard left it all on the field in his final collegiate game. In addition to puking on the sideline following the first drive, Leonard completed 22-of-31 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns.
“It’s the way he plays the game,” explained Denbrock. “I can’t say enough about his effort and what he’s given to this football team and this university.”
Perhaps the bright moment of the day was the play of sophomore receiver Jaden Greathouse. The Texas native finished his night with six catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns, but more importantly, ended his second year with two straight 100-yard games and that bodes well for the future.
“He’s a guy who works his game constantly,” explained Denbrock. “He’s been there for us all year when we’ve needed him. He was there again tonight and put us back in a position where we were able to make a game of it down the stretch.”
Greathouse will use the last two games as motivation for the offseason and he won’t forget walking off the field for quite some time.
“For any player, it’s going to give you a confidence boost,” stated Greathouse. “You're ‘going to feel more confident about yourself. The only thing I can think about is the red and white confetti coming down to the ground. I’m just thinking about how I need to dominate next season.”
As for the run game, Notre Dame never got it going. Notre Dame’s running backs combined for just 16 yards on seven carries, including Jeremiyah Love’s four carries for three yards.
Love entered the game with a nagging knee injury and Denbrock quickly saw his star player just didn’t have enough to carry the load despite being on the field quite a bit as a decoy.
“I think he felt he was in a position to do his best and give it a try,” said Denbrock. “Unfortunately, he had probably too many limited opportunities to really show how healthy he was today.”
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