Ohio State’s first marquee game of the 2023 season has arrived.
#9 Notre Dame
Fighting Irish
In just 12 hours from the publication of this article, Ohio State’s top-10 matchup with Notre Dame will kick off at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend. The Buckeyes will be looking to earn their sixth straight win over the Fighting Irish dating back to 1995, but victory isn’t likely to come easy against their ninth-ranked foes, who are 4-0 to start the season and will look to capitalize on home-field advantage Saturday night.
As we count down the hours until the scarlet and gray battle the blue and gold in primetime, Eleven Warriors’ team of beat writers highlights our biggest questions, players to watch and best bets entering tonight’s clash.
Biggest Questions
Is Kyle McCord ready to win a big game?
McCord showed why he is Ohio State’s starting quarterback this season by completing 33 of his 43 passing attempts for 576 yards and six touchdowns with zero interceptions over the last two weeks, but playing Notre Dame will be a different beast than Youngstown State and Western Kentucky.
Not only is Notre Dame’s pass defense much better than any McCord has faced in his four starts as a Buckeye to date, but this is the first time McCord has started a game where the difference between him playing good and playing great could make the difference between losing or winning the game. While Ohio State will surely look to establish the run as much as it can to take some pressure off McCord and attempt to open up downfield passing lanes, the Buckeyes could well end up needing their starting quarterback to make key plays with the game on the line to lead them to victory, and he’s unproven in that setting entering this game.
– Dan Hope
Can the interior run defense hold up?
Indiana’s triple option attack gave Ohio State’s run defense a surprise test in discipline and sideline-to-sideline flow, while Western Kentucky tested its pass defense with the air raid. If the Buckeyes want to contain Notre Dame’s offense, it starts with limiting what the Fighting Irish accomplish running downhill.
Such physical runs hurt the Buckeyes in some big spots a year ago – namely against Michigan – and it’s a part of their defense that hasn’t gotten a test the likes of Audric Estime and the Notre Dame offensive line will provide. Estime averages 8.3 yards per carry running behind his front five, and Ohio State can’t afford to surrender such numbers in Saturday’s contest.
- Andy Anders
Which team generates more of a pass rush?
Neither team’s sack numbers look that sexy considering the quality of opponents both have faced, but both have fared well generating pressure on opponents per advanced analytics. With two defenses that have struggled to generate sacks going on full display Saturday, the team that snaps that trend could have the advantage.
– Garrick Hodge
Will Ohio State win?
It’s a simplistic question, but it’s the only one that really matters in this game. While Ohio State is judged in many games by how impressively it wins, a win by any number of points will be celebrated tonight.
Ohio State doesn’t need to be good enough to beat Michigan or Penn State tonight, it just needs to be good enough to beat Notre Dame. That will be a tough task in itself, considering many college football analysts are picking the Fighting Irish to win. But as long as the answer to this question is yes, the Buckeyes can work on fixing any other issues next week during their bye week – which will certainly be much more enjoyable if Ohio State is 4-0 with a signature win on its résumé rather than 3-1 with no room for error the rest of the way.
– Dan Hope
Players to Watch
Cade Stover
The Athletic's Dane Brugler selected Stover as one of five prospects (along with Sam Hartman, Joe Alt, Cam Hart and Tommy Eichenberg) who could see their draft stock improve significantly with a strong performance on Saturday. According to Brugler, the primary area NFL scouts would like to see Stover improve is his run blocking. If Ohio State wants to get anywhere with the ground game against a stout Notre Dame defense, it will be crucial for Stover to set the edge and, in some instances, reach the second level so that TreVeyon Henderson, Chip Trayanum and Miyan Williams can keep the chains moving with their legs.
Moreover, with Marvin Harrison Jr. expected to attract double teams all night long, Stover should have ample opportunities to win one-on-ones as a receiver, showing his versatility as a veteran tight end in the Ohio State offense.
– Chase Brown
Mike Hall
Hall had his breakout performance as a Buckeye against Notre Dame last year when he made his first career start and was disruptive throughout the season opener, recording four tackles with two tackles for loss and a sack. His early-season stardom faded over the course of last season as he battled a shoulder injury, and he hasn’t yet taken over a game this year. He’s still had flashes of brilliance, though, and another performance like he had against the Fighting Irish last year would go a long way for Ohio State on a night where it needs to be able to disrupt runs at the line of scrimmage and generate pressure with its front four.
– Dan Hope
JT Tuimoloau
While Tuimoloau has yet to record a sack this season, he’s generated pressure on nearly a quarter of his rush attempts per advanced analytics. On Saturday, Tuimoloau could be matched up against one of the best offensive tackles in the country in Joe Alt. If he can generate pressure while facing a likely top-10 NFL Draft pick, the Buckeyes are going to be sitting pretty in this one.
– Garrick Hodge
Kyle McCord
Picking the quarterback for any game almost feels like a cop-out, but this is easily the biggest start of McCord’s career to date. He’s shown signs of growth through three games in 2023, putting together a 19-of-23 performance with 318 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions against Western Kentucky last week. But Ohio State will need the best version of McCord yet to get a top-10 win on the road, both in terms of his play and his leadership.
- Andy Anders
Best Bets
TreVeyon Henderson over 68.5 rushing yards (DraftKings)
Expect Henderson to be leaned on a little heavier against Notre Dame, having shown the last few weeks that he’s returned to feature-back form. There’s a chance he pushes 100 in this contest; 70 seems more than doable.
- Andy Anders
Cade Stover over 27.5 receiving yards (FanDuel)
Stover already has two 90-yard receiving performances in three games this season, so I like his odds of getting just a third of that. The top receiving performance against Notre Dame so far this season was by a tight end (N.C. State’s Juice Vereen, four catches for 65 yards), and the strength of the Fighting Irish’s pass defense is its outside cornerbacks. Stover likely only needs a couple of downfield catches to hit this mark, and I like those odds.
– Dan Hope
Emeka Egbuka to record +25 receiving yards in each half (FanDuel)
George Eisner, the author of Eleven Warriors' Easy Bucks, has been all over this bet, so I decided I would hop on board. Last season, Egbuka recorded nine catches for 90 yards and a touchdown against Notre Dame and finished the year with 74 catches for 1,151 yards and 10 touchdowns opposite Marvin Harrison Jr. In 2023, the talented pass-catcher has recorded 12 receptions for 167 yards and three scores across three weeks. With Harrison expected to receive extra attention, Egbuka should face several one-one-ones in the slot, which makes this bet extra appealing. I'd say it's worth a sprinkle at the very least.
– Chase Brown
Ohio State moneyline (-160, consensus)
It’s quite weird that seemingly every national pundit is picking against Ohio State in this game. While the Fighting Irish are much improved from a year ago, the Buckeyes’ defense is filled with veterans and should be able to slow down the Fighting Irish enough to secure a win.
– Garrick Hodge
