Cleveland, OH
Ohio State linebacker turned rare opportunity into crucial early stop vs. Notre Dame: Buckeye Breakfast
COLUMBUS, Ohio — In an Ohio State football victory at Notre Dame decided by three points, a few seconds and a matter of inches, you can find pivotal plays scattered through all four quarters.
One of them might have been the biggest play of linebacker Cody Simon’s career. And it happened so early in the game that many might have forgotten about it during the Buckeyes’ raucous celebration on the go-ahead touchdown.
Starting from its own 11 on its first possession, Notre Dame methodically drove into the red zone. On fourth-and-1 at the OSU 18, the Irish lined up in a heavy formation. Ohio State countered with a three-linebacker package, which brought Simon — a senior and former starter now operating as a reserve — into the game alongside starters Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers.
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Sam Hartman ran a play action pass, but the play broke down when OSU defensive end Jack Sawyer cut into the backfield. Hartman decided to run for it, and appeared to have plenty of green between himself and the first-down marker.
Simon, though, shed his blocker, and began a collision course with Hartman near the marker. Both lowerred their shoulders for impact, which left Hartman holding the ball in his right hand, slightly behind him.
Officials first gave him the conversion. Upon replay review, though, officials determined the ball had not crossed the line of gain when Simon knocked Hartman out of bounds.
That turnover on downs did not lead to OSU points. However, it kept Notre Dame off the scoreboard. If you want to truly play the butterfly effect, it also saved precious seconds the Buckeyes needed to complete the comeback.
Simon finished the night with two tackles on 15 snaps, but he made the big one count.
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Stroud is Buckeye proud
According to ESPN Stats & Information, OSU alum and Houston Texans rookie C.J. Stroud became the first quarterback with at least 900 passing yards, four touchdown passes and no interceptions in his first three starts. Only former MVP Cam Newton (1,012) and Justin Herbert (931) threw for more yards in their first three games.
His 121 pass attempts without an interception to start his career also set an NFL record.
Asked about the difference between a win in college and a win in the NFL, Stroud first wanted to acknowledge his alma mater’s big moment.
“I come from Ohio State — Go Bucks, got the dub, hard-fought win last night,” Stroud said. “Shot out to Kyle McCord, my dog. All them boys on the defense.”
Stroud went on to explain that at OSU, merely winning never seemed like enough. You could never lose, and if you were playing “a team that was less than — or people perceived was less than — you had to win by 70-plus points.”
As a result, Stroud said that experience led him to start preparing so diligently that he has not needed to tweak his routine much in the NFL.
It’s working pretty well so far.
How they saw it
Plenty of criticism in the Notre Dame media about how coach Marcus Freeman and his staff handled the end-of-game scenarios against Ohio State. The harshest analysis was reserved for the oversight that led to the Irish only having 10 defenders on the field for the final two plays of the go-ahead touchdown drive.
• From The Athletic’s Pete Samson: “It was an inexplicable explanation for an indefensible decision by Freeman and his staff, which rose to the moment much of Saturday night only to collapse at the end. These kinds of mistakes go on permanent records. They drag on coaches for seasons, not for weeks.
“Remembering the scene of ESPN’s “College GameDay,” the Irish fans turning out in green, Notre Dame looking like the better team for long stretches, that all gets flushed with the catastrophic conclusion that Freeman watched unfold in front of him.”
• Mike Berardino of the South Bend Tribune graded the offense, defense and special teams in the C- to C+ range. But the coaching performance earned a D.
“Until the cruel ending, Marcus Freeman had his team in position to hand Ohio State coach Ryan Day just his second loss in 18 true road games. Instead, Notre Dame played the final two defensive snaps without the requisite 11 men on the field, and that wasn’t even the first time it happened this year.”
• Paul Finebaum went on ESPN’s SportsCenter on Sunday morning and argue the mistake could cost the Irish a College Football Playoff berth.
“I know some Irish fans are waking up this morning and are saying, ‘You can’t say that. We have many more games to play,’ ” Finebaum said. “Well, that was the biggest game on your calendar against probably the best team you’ll see. Maybe USC. But this was at home and you have to win those games.
“The Irish’s arrogance about not being in a conference could come back to cost them because they don’t have a conference championship game to make it up.”
Key Dates
- Maryland at Ohio State: 12 days, Oct. 7
- Penn State at Ohio State: 26 days, Oct. 21
- Michigan at Ohio State: 61 days, Nov. 25
- Winter transfer portal opens: 70 days, Dec. 4
- Early signing period starts: 86 days, Dec. 20-22
- College Football Playoff National Championship: 105 days, Jan. 8, 2024
- NFL Draft underclassmen entry deadline: 112 days, Jan. 15, 2024
- Regular signing period starts: 136 days, Feb. 7-April 1, 2024
- NFL Scouting Combine: 156 days, Feb. 27-March 4, 2024
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