September
03
NCAA: OHIO STATE DEFEATS NOTRE DAME, 21-10, IN 2022 SEASON OPENER
A high profile QB battle, as It was sophomore rookie Tyler Buchner vs highly touted C.J. Stroud
It wasn’t the night anyone expected from Ohio State ranked #2, but the Buckeyes still found a way to beat Notre Dame in their first game of the season.
On a night where Jaxon Smith-Njigba missed most of the game with a leg injury, Ohio State’s offense scored on just one of its first eight drives, but a strong debut from Jim Knowles’ defense and a strong finish offensively led the Buckeyes to a 21-10 win over the fifth-ranked Fighting Irish.
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #2 OHIO STATE | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| #5 NOTRE DAME | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| SEPT. 3, 2022 • OHIO STADIUM • COLUMBUS, OHIO |
The game got off to a slow start for Ohio State’s defense when a whiffed tackle by Josh Proctor led to a 54-yard gain by Notre Dame wide receiver Lorenzo Styles – a Central Ohio native and the son of former Ohio State linebacker Lorenzo Styles – with a 15-yard roughing-the-passer penalty against J.T. Tuimoloau bringing the Fighting Irish into the red zone right away on their very first offensive play of the game. The Buckeyes held Notre Dame to a field goal from there, though, to limit the Irish to three points on their first possession.
Ohio State scored its first touchdown of 2022 on its second possession of the game when C.J. Stroud threaded a perfect pass by two defenders on 3rd-and-6 to Emeka Egbuka. The sophomore wide receiver, who made his first career start on Saturday night, finished the job from 31 yards out for the first touchdown of his Ohio State career.
But the Buckeyes wouldn’t score again on their next six drives.
The Fighting Irish retook the lead early in the second quarter on a 10-play, 76-yard drive that was capped by an Audric Estime 1-yard touchdown run. The touchdown was set up by a 31-yard circus catch by Notre Dame wide receiver Matt Salerno, which was immediately followed by a 22-yard pass to Kevin Bauman to get the Fighting Irish into the red zone for the second time.
Ohio State’s most promising drive of the second quarter reached Notre Dame’s 21-yard line, but after the Buckeyes were forced to settle for a field goal, Noah Ruggles – who missed just one field goal attempt for the entire 2021 season – missed his first field goal attempt of the year from 39 yards out, allowing the Fighting Irish to take a 10-7 lead into halftime. After that Ohio State took over the game and dominated the second half for the big win. But , a 17 point favourite, we’ll see how the offence fairs in their next game.
We’ll await the rankings for week 2 and see where Notre Dame and Ohio State rank.
2022 AP Top 25
| Rank | Team | Points (No. 1 votes) |
| 1 | Alabama | 1,556 (54) |
| 2 | Ohio State | 1,506 (6) |
| 3 | Georgia | 1,455 (3) |
| 4 | Clemson | 1,292 |
| 5 | Notre Dame | 1,242 |
| 6 | Texas A&M | 1,212 |
| 7 | Utah | 1,209 |
| 8 | Michigan | 1,203 |
| 9 | Oklahoma | 956 |
| 10 | Baylor | 884 |
| 11 | Oregon | 831 |
| 12 | Oklahoma State | 814 |
| 13 | N.C. State | 752 |
| 14 | USC | 711 |
| 15 | Michigan State | 631 |
| 16 | Miami, Fla. | 476 |
| 17 | Pitt | 383 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | 365 |
| 19 | Arkansas | 348 |
| 20 | Kentucky | 332 |
| 21 | Ole Miss | 324 |
| 22 | Wake Forest | 303 |
| 23 | Cincinnati | 265 |
| 24 | Houston | 263 |
| 25 | BYU | 234 |
BKonthescene 