In its 21-10) win over Notre Dame, Ohio State had to grind it out on offense. There is a time and a place for it.
The game when the passes weren't sailing through the air with precision and ease was when Ryan Day was waiting for.
In spite of the slow offense, Day got something else he was looking for when he beat Notre Dame.
In the off-season, Day said, "We have to be able to win ugly on offense, we have to stop the run on defense" All of them count the same." How do you want to win that game depends on who you're playing. It's going to pay off when you have thatVersatility.
Ohio State's offense, which was ranked first in the country in efficiency last year, underwhelmed as compared to the lofty preseason expectations that pegged the Buckeyes as a strong favorite to finish in the College Football Playoff. Ohio State struggled early against Notre Dame because of an injury to leading wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
The Fighting Irish, led by a popular first-year coach, came into Ohio Stadium and before an announced crowd of 106,594 gave the Buckeyes all they could handle until the end of the game. Ohio State was held without a point in the second quarter and trailed at the half.
It wasn't until less than five minutes remained in the fourth quarter that Ohio State solidified the win, thanks to a 14-play, 95-yard drive that took 7 minutes off the clock.
"We were struggling early on, just trying to get a connection, trying to build that rhythm, but towards the end, we started to click more," said Ohio State quarterback C.J. It's weird being out there again, to be honest, seeing the fans, dealing with all of the outside noise, just trying to lock in.
In the fourth quarter, he completed 9 of 10 passes and scored. He reminded everyone of his playmaking abilities, even though it wasn't a big deal.
The team that led the nation in scoring and yards per play last year is back, and that's why Ohio State is the second best team in the country. When Smith-Njigba was hurt in the first quarter, the Buckeyes were off-balance. The most points scored by any team in the first half was by Ohio State. They had seven Saturday night.
Day said that early games are a bit clunky and that losing Jaxon threw them off.
The defense was the focus of the game on Saturday. It was a good debut for the first-year defensive coach. The Irish punted on six occasions.
Lathan Ransom said that they were called soft last year and had to sit and eat.
The entire team wanted to prove that they were tough.
He said they wanted to be known for more than talent.
Notre Dame wanted to hold onto the ball, control the clock and keep the Ohio State offense off the field. In the first quarter, the Irish were able to do that, but they only converted three of 13 third-down conversions.
Day said that he isn't worried about the passing game moving forward because he could see more teams trying to do the same. There were other lesser-known players who emerged for Ohio State, including a former walk-on who caught a 24 yard touchdown.
With all that, none of that mattered to Johnson. It was all for the team and the Almighty.
I was in a good spot to do what I was told to do.
Even if it was not pretty, they all were.
Day said that the emphasis has been on winning this way. Defense is the starting point. If we want to go where we need to be and reach our goals, we need to be able to do both of those things.
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