Ohio State kicked off its 2022 season with a gritty 21-10 win over a 5th-ranked Notre Dame squad focused on shortening the contest and bringing physicality within a game plan intent on running the ball and stopping the run.
Irish head coach Marcus Freeman knew he didn't quite have the quarterback or the horses to beat the Buckeyes in a track meet. During the first half, his squad executed the strategy in solid fashion, holding Ohio State to 55 rushing yards (sack adjusted) as the Buckeyes ran just 28 plays. Meanwhile, the Irish managed 60 rushing yards (sack adjusted) and controlled the clock on the way to a 10-7 lead at intermission.
As Ohio State head coach Ryan Day reflected on Saturday's victory during his media session yesterday, it was clear he was pleased with how his offense turned things around in the second half while his defense was even better than it was in the opening 30 minutes.
I thought our competitive stamina showed up Saturday night, certainly in the second half and fourth quarter... We've got to bring it 12 times in the regular season no matter who we're playing.– Ryan Day
In the second half of Saturday night's matchup, with Day knowing he was in a slugfest, Ohio State leaned on the running game to the tune of 122 yards on 5.8 per carry (sack/knee adjusted). The numbers might not jump off the page but in that type of game, it was huge for the Buckeyes to crank out 69% of their net rushing yardage (again, no sacks/knees) in the decisive second half.
Meanwhile, the defense held Notre Dame to 35 sack adjusted rushing yards in the final two quarters on a pedestrian 3.5 yards per try which was right on its first half performance as the Irish ran it 17 times for 60 yards (again, sack adjusted).
Within the Ohio State offense's big second half, the group scored on back-to-back possessions spanning the late third quarter into the last five minutes of the fourth quarter, turning a 10-7 deficit into an insurmountable 21-10 lead.
The final touchdown drive, a 14-play, 95-yard march to break Notre Dame's back, saw the running game get nasty. After TreVeyon Henderson carried it three times for 15 yards, Miyan Williams took over, grinding 49 yards on seven carries, featuring runs of 11, 15 and 12 yards before his 2-yard plunge capped the scoring.
Averaging 6.4 yards a pop while accumulating 64 rushing yards within a 95-yard drive, especially at the end when everyone knew the run was coming, is exactly what Day means when he preaches competitive stamina.
Last year, that wasn't always the case when things got tough. In a home loss to Oregon, the Buckeye defense gave up 167 rushing yards on 8.4 per try in the second half, forcing the offense to play from behind all day.
In a road defeat at the hands of Michigan, the lack of competitive stamina was even more pronounced. On defense, the Buckeyes were bullied to the tune of 190 yards on 18 second half carries, good for 10.6 per try even as the entire universe knew the Wolverines were lining up to run. The offense was just as bad with the offensive line totally overwhelmed my Michigan's front. Toughness and leadership were non-existent.
As it turns out, those two losses and other struggles in wins along the way paved the way for Day to focus on leadership and toughness this offseason - meshing to achieve competitive stamina - and his team passed its first test last Saturday.
Now the focus turns to doing the same thing each week, regardless of opponent. Yes, Ohio State is going to roll Arkansas State on Saturday but you can bet Day will be on the lookout for how the blowout unfolds. He wants to see toughness and urgency from both lines and he wants to see leaders step up at the sign of any adversity.
In all honesty, part of me wonders if Day himself didn't need this style of win just as bad as the players. He sure showed more patience in playcalling Saturday night and there were times last year's defense could've benefitted from the offense churning out longer scoring drives.
Of course, the other part of me thinks he's probably had that patience all along but simply didn't have enough confidence in his defense last year to not focus on simply putting up as many points as possible.
