Ohio State Football Schedule Prep: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The Ohio State football team meets up with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in a Week 4 showdown. Here is what you need to know.

The fourth installment of our Ohio State football schedule prep series brings us to one of the most anticipated regular season games for the Buckeyes in a while. A road contest in South Bend to take on former Buckeye Marcus Freeman and his Fighting Irish on September 23rd.

The Irish played well in Columbus las year despite the pathetic effort of their offense. Defensively, they held CJ Stroud and company in check until they were gashed on the ground in the fourth quarter to lose 21-10.

This season’s contest should be one of the most difficult regular season games that Ryan Day will have faced in his five-year tenure as head coach. While there should be a decent contingent of Buckeye fans in attendance, a night contest in South Bend will not be a picnic. And with the Buckeyes starting a new quarterback this season in either Kyle McCord or Devin Brown, it will be crucial to see how that player fairs in a ruckus atmosphere.

The major noticeable difference between last year’s Irish team and this season’s will be the play of its quarterback. Freeman was able to bring in one of the best transfer pickups in the portal by grabbing Sam Hartman away from Wake Forrest. Hartman is an excellent quarterback who threw for over 3,700 yards and 38 touchdowns last season. He will give this Buckeye secondary a major test early in the season.

Another player on the Irish offense to keep an eye on its receiver Tobias Merriweather, who recently was ranked as one of Athlon Sports breakout players for 2023. While Merriweather only had one reception last season, the former four-star player is expected to take over as the number one guy in South Bend following the departure of tight end Michael Mayer.

Standing at nearly 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds, the second-year receiver has been getting rave reviews all Spring from Notre Dame coaches and media alike. He’s going to be a handful for Denzel Burke and company come September 23rd.

Lastly on offense, Joe Alt is a rock at left tackle. He will more than likely be a first round NFL draft pick in next year’s draft so it will be interesting to see if Jim Knowles tries to dial somethings up to confuse Alt or just attack the other tackle.

Defensively, the Irish will be stout again as they have a very solid defensive line led by upperclassmen Howard Cross at defensive end and Rylie Mills at defensive tackle. Both are very stout against the run. They also brought in former Buckeye Javontae Jean-Baptiste to help at its hybrid linebacker-edge position. JPP had four sacks last season in limited action, so he gives Notre Dame instant help at rushing the passer.

In the secondary, Notre Dame’s best players are corner Cam Hart, who will be a fifth-year senior and preseason All-American Benjamin Morrison, who will be a sophomore. Hart has not participated this Spring due to shoulder surgery but is anticipated to be ready by fall camp for the Irish. Morrison had six picks last year, so the Ohio State Football team has to know where he is when throwing the ball.

Overall, this should be an excellent game between two top-10 teams. If Ohio State plays up to their capabilities, this should be a nice road victory that can catapult them to having a great regular season.