A Look Back at How Ohio State Went from 0-2 Against Notre Dame to Winning Five in A Row

While Notre Dame won the first-ever two matchups between Ohio State and Notre Dame in 1935 and 1936, the Buckeyes have won every game between the two blue-bloods since. After a 59-year drought between games, the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish have met five times on the gridiron since 1995, and Ohio State has emerged victorious in all of them.

To get you set for the eighth meeting between the two storied programs on Saturday, we take a look back at Ohio State's previous seven games with Notre Dame.

Nov. 2, 1935: Elmer Layden’s Risk Pays Off

Ohio State hosted the Catholic school from Indiana in front of a then-Ohio Stadium record 81,018 fans.

Elmer Layden, Notre Dame's second-year coach, knew the Buckeyes were bigger and faster than his team, but he had a game plan he believed in. Football at this time allowed substitutions but with a caveat. If a player came out, he was finished for the half. Layden's scheme was to rest his starters during the third quarter to have them fresh for the crucial final 15 minutes.

With Ohio State leading 13-0 at halftime, would Layden still rest his starters in the third quarter? He did, and the Buckeyes failed to score against Notre Dame's reserves to set up an ending for the ages. 

Notre Dame scored early in the final quarter and had the ball on its 20-yard line with four minutes to play. By taking the third quarter off, Layden's players had fresher legs and Andy Pilney guided his team down the field in under two minutes for a touchdown. However, the Irish again failed to convert the extra point and still trailed, 13-12.

Ohio State's Charles Gale recovered Notre Dame's onside kick and the Buckeyes were a few plays away from milking the clock and a victory. On second down, Dick Beltz was pummeled by Pilney and the ball bounced out of bounds.

In today's game, the clock would stop and Ohio State would retain the ball. However, the rules at the time gave the ball to the team that last touched it before it went out of bounds. A Notre Dame player touched the loose ball before it went out of bounds and the Irish now had the ball near midfield with under one minute to play.

Layden's strategy to rest players became a factor again. Pilney dropped back to pass on first down but could not find an open receiver. He used his fresh legs to race for 32 yards. At the end of the play, Pilney's knee was destroyed and he was out of the game – in fact, he was now out for the season. 

With the ball on Ohio State's 19-yard line, the story was set for Bill Shakespeare to replace Pilney and become the game's hero or goat.  

On his first snap, Shakespeare threw downfield directly to the Buckeyes' Beltz. With a chance to redeem himself for the fumble, Beltz had the ball go through his hands. On the next play, Shakespeare took advantage and found Wayne Miller with the winning touchdown pass. Notre Dame took its first lead of the day with only 32 seconds on the clock, and went on to win the game 18-13.

Oct. 31, 1936: Refs, rain and a record crowd work against Ohio State

Halloween in South Bend was the setting for the Buckeyes (2-2) as they played in Notre Dame Stadium for the first time. A heavy rain saturated the field and kept the scoring low as Ohio State tried to get its first victory over the Fighting Irish. 

Late in the fourth quarter, the Buckeyes trailed 7-2 but faced 1st-and-10 on the Notre Dame 12-yard line. Ohio State's quarterback, Nick Waslyik, attempted two passes but both fell incomplete in the end zone. At least that's how the refs ruled the play.

Ohio State's players and sideline adamantly pleaded that the second pass hit the ground short of the goal line. The Buckeyes' pleas fell on deaf ears and the referees stayed with their ruling that the incomplete pass landed in the end zone.  

Why was a big deal made about the incomplete pass landing in the end zone? Today, Ohio State would have faced 3rd-and-10 at the Notre Dame 12-yard line. However, this was 1936 and the rules of the day stated that a team throwing consecutive incomplete passes in the end zone resulted in a touchback for the opposing team.

Due to this ruling, Notre Dame gained possession of the ball on Ohio State's 20-yard line and was able to hold on for a 7-2 victory. In back-to-back seasons, antiquated rules cost Ohio State against the Fighting Irish. Buckeye fans would have to wait 59 years for their team to get a chance to atone for the injustices.

Sept. 30, 1995: A neck brace, a muffed punt, turnovers and Regis end 59 years of frustration

A record crowd of 95,537 filled Ohio Stadium hoping to watch their Buckeyes atone for the losses handed to their team in the 1930s. The first half did not go as planned. A neck brace-adorned Lou Holtz (who had undergone spinal surgery) and his visitors from South Bend led 17-14 as the first half came to a close.

Notre Dame received the second-half kickoff and Ron Powlus promptly directed his team to Ohio State's 10-yard line. Fred Pagac's defense stiffened and kept the Irish from crossing the goal line. Holtz settled for a field goal and his team led 20-14. 

It appeared the game was tilting in Notre Dame's favor as Ohio State was forced to punt on the ensuing drive. Brent Bartholomew booted the ball to the Irish's Emmett Mosley, who couldn't handle the punt, and Ohio State's Dean Kreuzer recovered the muff on Notre Dame's 19-yard line. Following a Bobby Hoying pass to Rickey Dudley in which the large tight end carried a defender into the end zone, Ohio State led 21-20. 

The Irish lost the ball on their next two possessions via a Shawn Springs interception and a Powlus fumbled snap. Springs' interception set up Terry Glenn's iconic 82-yard touchdown catch in which Lynn Swann's interview with Regis Philbin was interrupted when Glenn raced past Notre Dame's secondary to put the Buckeyes up 28-20.

Following a Powlus fumble, Eddie George was called upon three times and the future Heisman winner capped off the 14-yard drive with a touchdown, giving Ohio State a 35-20 lead. 

When the final whistle blew, George had 207 yards rushing and two touchdowns, Hoying threw for 272 yards and four touchdowns and Glenn had four catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns. Most importantly, Ohio State won 45-26 and ended 59 years of gloating from the Notre Dame faithful.  

Sept. 28, 1996: Pepe Pearson wrecks Ron Powlus' championship dreams

Ohio State was coming off blowouts over Rice and Pittsburgh in which the Buckeyes won by a combined score of 142-7. Confidence in Columbus was high heading into the game against fifth-ranked Notre Dame in South Bend.

Dimitrious Stanley returned the opening kickoff 85 yards to the Notre Dame 13-yard line and four plays later, Pepe Pearson punched it in to give the Buckeyes a 6-0 lead less than two minutes into the game. 

Ohio State's defense recovered a fumble and intercepted a Ron Powlus pass, leading to a Matt Calhoun touchdown catch and Pearson's second touchdown run of the game. The ballhawking defense and opportunistic offense gave the Buckeyes a 22-7 lead at halftime.

The Irish made a field goal on their opening drive of the second half to pull within 12. Stanley Jackson answered with a 13-yard touchdown pass to D.J. Jones and Ohio State took a commanding 29-10 lead. Notre Dame would score again, but it wouldn't be enough as the Buckeyes won in South Bend for the first time.

Pearson finished with two touchdowns and rushed for a career-high 173 yards. Jackson completed 9-of-15 passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns and Greg Bellisari had a game-high 14 tackles.

“The national championship's done,” Powlus said after the game. “The season's over.”

Jan. 2, 2006: Buckeyes bully Domers in Fiesta Bowl

The talk heading into this game focused on how Charlie Weis would use Brady Quinn and the Notre Dame offense to outscore Ohio State. It appeared the pundits knew what they were talking about after Darius Walker scored on a 20-yard touchdown run to put Notre Dame up 7-0.

Troy Smith, Ted Ginn Jr. and the rest of the Buckeyes’ offense might have taken the attention the Irish's offense was receiving personally as Tressel opened up the playbook. Smith rewarded his coach by hooking up with Ginn for a 56-yard touchdown and Santonio Holmes on an 85-yard touchdown strike. For good measure, Ginn scored on a 68-yard reverse in between the touchdown passes to give Ohio State a 21-7 lead at the half.

The Buckeyes would go on to win 34-20. Smith threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns and gained 66 yards rushing. Holmes and Ginn combined for 291 receiving yards and two scores as Ohio State extended its winning streak over Notre Dame to three with its first bowl win against the Fighting Irish.

Jan. 1, 2016: Elliott and Barrett dominate the Irish

With a team loaded with NFL-level talent, Ohio State’s 2015 team was supposed to be playing in the College Football Playoff and on its way to a second straight national championship. A loss to Michigan State in extremely windy and rainy conditions rewrote that story and the Buckeyes instead faced Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.  

Ohio State controlled the game against the Golden Domers from the jump, racing out to a 28-7 first-half lead. Ezekiel Elliott scored four times and the Buckeyes' offense racked up 496 yards in a 44-28 win. J.T. Barrett threw for 211 yards and a touchdown and added 96 yards with his legs.

The game wasn't without controversy as Joey Bosa was ejected for the game after using the top of his helmet to run through Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer. But that didn’t stop the Buckeyes from winning their fourth straight game over the Fighting Irish.

Sep. 3, 2022: Season-Opening Slugfest

For the 10th time in school history and the first time since facing No. 17 Washington in 2003, Ohio State opened the season against a ranked opponent when it hosted Notre Dame at Ohio Stadium last year.

In the leadup to the game, there were questions about what the Buckeyes defense would look like under new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. What wasn't being questioned was the explosiveness of Ohio State's offense. 

Led by Heisman Trophy candidate C.J. Stroud, Ohio State's offense was expected to give fifth-ranked Notre Dame's defense fits with its superior passing attack. The air superiority was grounded early in the game when Jaxon Smith-Njigba was lost to a hamstring injury. This led to the Buckeyes only scoring seven points in the first half and trailing by three points after 30 minutes of play.

Fortunately for the Buckeyes, Knowles’ defense shut out Notre Dame in the second half to keep the home team in the game. Ohio State took a 14-10 lead on a Xavier Johnson touchdown catch late in the third quarter and would hold on for a victory from there, winning 21-10 after a Miyan Williams touchdown run with less than five minutes to play gave the Buckeyes a two-score advantage.

Stroud finished with 24 completions for 223 yards and two touchdowns. Emeka Egbuka was Stroud's favorite target as he hauled in nine passes for 90 yards and a score. TreVeyon Henderson and Williams combined for 175 rushing yards for Ohio State.

Five Fun Facts

• Elmer Layden was Notre Dame's coach in 1935 and was one of the school's “Four Horsemen” during his playing days.
• At the time, Terry Glenn's 82-yard touchdown reception was the second-longest in Ohio State history.
• The 45 points Ohio State scored in 1995 were the most a Holtz-coached Notre Dame team ever gave up.
• Ezekiel Elliott's 47-yard touchdown run tied the Fiesta Bowl record for the longest run in the bowl's history.
• Ohio State (.733) and Notre Dame (.730) rank first and fourth for all-time winning percentage in college football history.