Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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38 SEPT. 23, 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED GAME PREVIEW: OHIO STATE BY TYLER HORKA OHIO STATE RUNNING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE Heading into Week 3, Notre Dame ranked No. 86 in the FBS in points above average in rush defense per Sports Info Solutions (SIS). Every time an op- ponent ran the ball, the Fighting Irish lost 0.10 of a point. Ironically, Ohio State's rushing offense also ranked No. 86 in the FBS in points above average per offensive running play. The Buckeyes lost 0.10 of a point every time they ran the ball themselves in their first two games. More like points below average, yeah? Yeah. Ohio State still stayed committed to the run in each of its first two games, though, going for 143 yards on 31 attempts in a 23-3 win over Indiana and totaling 123 yards on 27 attempts in a 35-7 victory over Youngstown State. At 133.0 rushing yards per game, OSU ranked tied for 88th in the FBS. Turns out the points below average figure was pretty dang accurate for the Buckeyes. For Notre Dame, not so much. The Fighting Irish allowed 99.67 rushing yards per game through their first three matchups, which ranked No. 42 nationally — much better than 86th. There are other advanced metrics that aren't in love with the Irish as run stoppers, though, too. Notre Dame only had a stuff percentage, which accounts for the amount of runs stopped at or behind the line of scrimmage, of 17.3 percent through Week 2, for instance. That ranked 94th in the FBS per SIS. When it comes down to it, Notre Dame has tal- ented players on defense trying to stop the run and Ohio State has talented players on offense trying to execute the run. It's almost a wash in that regard, but we will give a slight edge to a Buckeyes team that boasts running backs TreVeyon Henderson, a junior, and Miyan Williams, a senior, galloping behind some big, bad dudes along the OSU offensive line. Henderson only rushed 17 times in Ohio State's first two games, but those attempts went for 103 yards and 2 touchdowns. Williams had 13 rushes for 50 yards and 2 scores. The X-factor could be senior Chip Trayanum, who through two games nearly had as many rushing yards (77) as he had in 11 games with OSU in 2022 (92). Advantage: Ohio State OHIO STATE PASSING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME PASS DEFENSE In 2022, Ohio State had the fourth-highest pass- ing play points above average team total in the FBS behind fellow passing powerhouses USC, North Carolina and Washington. Through two games in 2023, the Buckeyes, without No 2 overall NFL Draft pick CJ Stroud at quarterback, fell to No. 55 in the On PaPer Junior running back TreVeyon Henderson had 17 carries for 103 yards and 2 touchdowns in Ohio State's first two contests this season. PHOTO COURTESY OHIO STATE ATHLETICS