Buckeye Rosters

Recap

Columbus, OH — No. 2 Ohio State overcame a slow start and a tough Notre Dame defense to secure a 21-10 victory over the No. 5 Fighting Irish in the season opener at Ohio Stadium on Saturday night.

Quarterback C.J. Stroud led the Buckeyes with a poised second-half performance, finishing 24-of-34 for 223 yards and two touchdowns. His go-ahead touchdown pass to Xavier Johnson with 17 seconds left in the third quarter put Ohio State ahead for good. The Buckeyes sealed the win with a punishing fourth-quarter drive, capped by a one-yard touchdown run from Miyan Williams.

Notre Dame, in its first game under head coach Marcus Freeman, struck first with an early field goal and later stunned the Ohio Stadium crowd with a 54-yard pass from Tyler Buchner to Lorenzo Styles Jr. on the opening play from scrimmage. The Irish took a 10-7 lead into halftime, but their offense stalled in the second half, failing to score in the final two quarters.

The Buckeyes’ defense, a focal point after struggles last season, held the Irish to just 253 total yards and only 76 yards after halftime. Meanwhile, Ohio State’s offense rebounded from the loss of star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who exited in the first quarter with an injury.

With the win, Ohio State extended its home-opener winning streak to 23 games. The Buckeyes will next face Arkansas State, while Notre Dame looks to bounce back against Marshall.