Senior running back Chip Trayanum (19) scored the game-winning touchdown with one second remaining to lift No. 6 Ohio State over No. 9 Notre Dame 17-14 Saturday. Credit: Caleb Blake | Photo Editor
Down 14-10 with three seconds left, Chip Trayanum rushed in for the touchdown that silenced Notre Dame Stadium.
The No. 6 Buckeyes (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) defeated No. 9 Notre Dame (4-1) 17-14 on a third-and-goal rush up the middle Saturday, staying perfect on the season.
“The last matchup game we were in we were one play short, this play, we finished it the right way and I’m really proud of our team,” head coach Ryan Day said.
Notre Dame took its time marching down the field but ended its eight-minute, 14-play initial drive with an unsuccessful graduate quarterback Sam Hartman scramble on fourth-and-1 at the Ohio State 18-yard line.
With 3:11 left in the first quarter, the Buckeyes began their second drive — a three-and-out.
The Irish ran down the clock on their second possession, holding Ohio State to its first no-score first quarter of the season.
Just 56 seconds later, Notre Dame’s graduate kicker Spencer Shrader tried his luck from the 47-yard line with a field goal, but instead notched it far left. The missed 3-pointer shifted the momentum in favor of the Buckeyes — for a single possession.
Quarterback Kyle McCord threw his fourth incompletion of the game, intended for senior tight end Cade Stover, leading to Ohio State’s own unsuccessful fourth-and-1 try. However, for the Buckeyes, they were at Notre Dame’s 1-yard line yearning for a score.
“We didn’t really give him [McCord] a great opportunity down in the red zone,” Day said.
The Irish found their way with a 22-yard rush by junior running back Audric Estimé but were stopped by the safety combination of senior Lathan Ransom and sophomore Sonny Styles.
“People said we weren’t physical,” Day said. “They were gonna run the ball over the place on us, I mean, where do people get off saying that?”
Ohio State got the ball back with 3:46 left to play in the first half.
After two third-down conversions, a 15-yard incompletion intended for junior receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., a drop in the end zone by junior receiver Emeka Egbuka and another incomplete touchdown pass to Stover, the Buckeyes settled for three.
“That was a nice throw [to Egbuka], didn’t quite work out, but the bottom line is — he [McCord] competed and won a game like this,” Day said.
Sophomore kicker Jayden Fielding put Ohio State on the board 3-0 with 26 seconds before the half on a 31-yard field goal. The Buckeyes shutout Notre Dame after two quarters, marking the first time they’ve put up no points after two quarters since Oct. 15, 2022.
The Fighting Irish kicked off the half with a turnover on downs from an attempted Hartman rush. The Buckeyes responded with a 61-yard TreVeyon Henderson rush to the house on the next play. This is Ohio State’s third one-play scoring drive in two games.
At the 3:35 mark of the third quarter, sophomore running back Gi’Bran Payne punched it in for a 1-yard score. The Fighting Irish trailed the Buckeyes 10-7.
As Ohio State searched for an answer to the Irish’s pressure — and nearly had it as Egbuka caught a first-down pass at the Notre Dame 39-yard line — an unnecessary roughness call was made on senior right tackle Josh Fryar.
This penalty pushed the Buckeyes back to their own 46-yard line on a third-and-24 play. McCord completed a 13-yard pass to Stover, but it was not enough to advance their drive and shift momentum.
Hartman completed a 28- and 25-yard pass to trudge down the field for their second score of the night. A Hartman to freshman receiver Rico Flores Jr. connection going 2 yards put the Irish ahead 14-10 with 8:22 left in the game.
In their next drive, the Buckeyes faced a fourth-and-1, but Egbuka ran for no gain on a sweep, giving the ball back to the Irish who couldn’t put any more points on the board.
However, this gave Ohio State one final drive to win.
After a fourth-and-7 conversion, a sack and an incompletion to Harrison the Buckeyes had a chance with three seconds left.
Senior running back Trayanum rushed it in for the score leaving one second on the clock.
The stadium fell silent.
Ohio State ran away with a 17-14 win, leading the all-time series 6-2 and remaining undefeated.
“That was one heck of a win for our team,” Day said. “It’s always been Ohio against the world and it continues to be to this day.”
