Notre Dame’s Opponents: Ohio State’s offense projects to match the best of the century

The 99th season of Ohio Stadium opened with a shocking loss that cost Ohio State most of its hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff. Notre Dame hopes to replicate that reality to begin The Horseshoe’s 100th season in less than three weeks.

The No. 5 Irish will have an uphill climb to top No. 2 Ohio State on Sept. 3. Sportsbooks favor the Buckeyes by more than two touchdowns, something that will be a common theme in Ryan Day’s fourth season.

Ohio State losing in September last year was itself a shock, never mind that the Buckeyes were favored by two touchdowns against Oregon. Under Day, the earliest Ohio State had lost in the previous two seasons was a Playoff semifinal. That kind of run was always likely to come to an end, but it may boot up again quickly in 2022.

2021 REVIEWNot much more needs to be said about the Buckeyes’ 2021. Horrendous rush defense and situational struggles on offense cost Ohio State against Oregon and then again in the regular-season finale against Michigan.

As much as has been made about the Buckeyes’ wretched rush defense, it was excellent for most of the season. In the first two games of the year, Ohio State gave up 913 total yards with 472 of them on the ground. In the last two games of its season, Michigan and Utah exceeded those marks with 950 total yards and 523 yards rushing.

In their other nine games, the Buckeyes gave up 74 rushing yards per game.

Nonetheless, that inauspicious start — though Minnesota’s rushing offense did not receive enough acclaim last year and may impress many again this season — cost Ohio State defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs his job, demoted in September and now the cornerbacks coach and special teams coordinator at Cincinnati, where he previously worked