Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 23, 2023 37 GAME PREVIEW: OHIO STATE The Buckeyes were, and might still be, one of very few teams talented enough to keep pace with them. Among other strengths, Ohio State might have the best and second-best receivers in the country in juniors Harrison and Emeka Egbuka, respectively. The Buckeyes will be hungry in their first real test after a heartbreaking finish to the 2022 season, and they represent a difficult task for the Fighting Irish. But if the first two games of 2023 are any indication, they are not invulnerable. Ohio State's offensive line remains a work in progress after three starters, in- cluding eventual No. 6 overall pick left tackle Paris Johnson Jr., left for the NFL Draft. As described in On3's Ohio State fan site, Letterman Row, the Buckeyes were called for two holding penalties and one illegal hands to the face, which negated a touchdown. The Buckeyes, through two games at Indiana (a 23-3 win) and at home against Youngstown State (a 35-7 win), were also 7 of 24 (29.2 percent) on third- down conversions. Asked after the Youngstown State win Sept. 9 when he needs to see lin- ear improvement from his blockers, Day said, "Like, yesterday." "We have urgency," the coach added. "We want it now. We're not going to wait around and say, 'We'll get it next week.' We have to get it fixed now." Day's group has also had issues with road-grading run games in the past. Michigan running back Donovan Ed- wards carried 22 times for 216 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 45-23 Buckeye loss Nov. 26, their only defeat of the 2022 regular season. Stroud is gone as well, drafted No. 2 overall by the Houston Texans. Af- ter the Youngstown State game, Ohio State named its starting quarterback after playing both junior Kyle McCord and sophomore Devin Brown in its first two games. It's McCord, a former five-star re- cruit who entered Week 3 with 111 career passing attempts. "It gives Kyle a peace of mind that he is the starter," Day said. "It's good for the team to have that distinction that Kyle is the starter." With Stroud gone and the addition of Hartman, Notre Dame has the more ex- perienced quarterback in this matchup. Hartman has 1,661 career passing at- tempts, and he's raised the floor and ceiling for the Irish much higher than their quarterback play did when Ohio State beat Notre Dame 21-10 to open the 2022 season. "Six years," Freeman said after the win over Tennessee State Sept. 2. "That experience is so important. He's a heck of a football player. But the ability to handle the elements, maybe not playing perfect, big games, maybe a game where you're highly favored — he is a very ex- perienced player, and I'm sure glad we have him." Hartman and a convincing 4-0 start give Notre Dame reason to believe, and a win over Ohio State would have Irish fans dreaming about the possibilities. How far could Notre Dame go? The Irish themselves, however, would turn their attention to Duke. ✦ 2023 NOTRE DAME SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Aug. 26 vs. Navy* W, 42-3 Sept. 2 Tennessee State W, 56-3 Sept. 9 at NC State W, 45-24 Sept. 16 Central Michigan W, 41-17 Sept. 23 Ohio State (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Sept. 30 at Duke TBA Oct. 7 at Louisville TBA Oct. 14 USC (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Oct. 28 Pittsburgh (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Nov. 4 at Clemson (ABC) TBA Nov. 18 Wake Forest (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Nov. 25 at Stanford TBA * at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland Last season, junior defensive end JT Tuimoloau received first-team All-Big Ten honors from the confer- ence coaches. PHOTO COURTESY OHIO STATE ATHLETICS 2023 OHIO STATE SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Sept. 2 at Indiana W, 23-3 Sept. 9 Youngstown State W, 35-7 Sept. 16 Western Kentucky W, 63-10 Sept. 23 at Notre Dame (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Oct. 7 Maryland TBA Oct. 14 at Purdue TBA Oct. 21 Penn State TBA Oct. 28 at Wisconsin TBA Nov. 4 at Rutgers TBA Nov. 11 Michigan State (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Nov. 18 Minnesota TBA Nov. 25 at Michigan (FOX) 12 p.m.