Ohio State scores with 1 second left to top Notre Dame 17-14

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – After 59 minutes and 57 seconds of punches and counterpunches, Saturday night's Ohio State-Notre Dame showdown came down to one play.

Then Chip Trayanum delivered what will be remembered as one of the biggest 1-yard carries in Ohio State history.

Trayanum, who transferred from Arizona State to be a linebacker only to switch back to running back, scored with 1 second left to give the No. 6 Buckeyes a 17-14 victory over No. 9 Notre Dame in front of 77,622 at Notre Dame Stadium.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day was more animated than he ever has been after a game. He and the Buckeyes took umbrage at pregame criticism, including from former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz, that the Buckeyes lacked the toughness to beat the Irish.

"A lot of people took shots at this team over the last 48 hours," Day said. "It really hit home to me. Not only did we physically get after these guys last year (in a 21-10 win), but we did it again here at the end of the game.

"I think it says a lot about this team. I'm really upset and disrespected about what Lou Holtz said publicly about our team and Ohio State and Buckeye Nation. We're not going to stand for that because it's not even close to true."

That narrative about the Buckeyes (4-0) might have gotten ammunition if not for the final four minutes.

A 10-0 Ohio State lead after a 61-yard touchdown run by TreVeyon Henderson dissolved when the Fighting Irish (4-1) put together two long touchdown drives to seemingly take control of the game. The second of them was a 96-yarder in 11 plays against a Buckeyes defense that looked worn down.

"We were having some problems against the run," defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said. "We definitely have some things to work on, which is always good from a victory."

The Buckeyes looked doomed when receiver Emeka Egbuka was stuffed on a fourth-and-inches end around at the Irish 11 with just over 4 minutes remaining.

But instead of pounding the ball on the ground and potentially running out the clock, Notre Dame elected to throw. Ohio State's defense capitalized. Defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau tackled quarterback Sam Hartman for a 5-yard loss after two Irish first downs and almost intercepted the ball on the next play, forcing Notre Dame to eventually punt.

"I was really surprised," Knowles said of the Irish play-calling. "J.T. made a couple of great plays."

The Buckeyes took possession at their own 35-yard line with 1:26 left. Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord had won the quarterback job largely because of his poise under pressure, and this was the biggest test of his Buckeye career.

"We practice those 2-minute situations all the time, and at that point, it was just reverting back to our training," McCord said. "My job is to get the ball to our playmakers and let them do special things."

The Buckeyes faced fourth-and-7 with 51 seconds left when McCord connected with Julian Fleming, getting the ball to the Irish 32 to keep the drive alive. A completion to Marvin Harrison Jr., who had returned from a sprained ankle suffered while blocking on Henderson's touchdown, moved it to the 13.

A near-interception and intentional grounding call made it third-and-19. McCord then threw to Egbuka for a 21-yard completion to the Notre Dame 1 with 7 seconds left.

McCord threw incomplete to Harrison, leaving time for one last play with 3 seconds to go. After a Notre Dame timeout, McCord handed off to the 233-pound Trayanum, who ran through the left side and landed with the ball just over the goal line.

Asked if the decision to call a straight-ahead run play was to show the Buckeyes' toughness, Day replied, "1,000%."

"I think it's going to go down as one of the big wins in Ohio State histories, one of the clutch fourth-down comebacks. On the road in a top-10 environment."

It helped that Notre Dame had only 10 players on the field for the last two plays.

The second-half fireworks stood in stark contrast to the first half, in which both teams failed to capitalize on numerous scoring chances.

Ohio State managed the only three points of the half, a 31-yard field goal by Jayden Fielding with 26 seconds left in the second quarter.

The Buckeyes stopped Notre Dame on a fourth-and-1 from the OSU 18 on the Irish's first possession. Notre Dame missed a 47-yard field goal on its second drive.

The Buckeyes did little offensively in the first quarter before awakening in the second. Ohio State drove 70 yards in 13 plays to the Notre Dame 1. But Miyan Williams was stuffed on third down, and McCord's pass to tight end Cade Stover on a rollout to the right was deflected away on fourth down.

McCord finished with 240 yards on 21-of-37 passing. All anyone will remember is the final drive when Ohio State pulled out the improbable victory.

"Down four points with a chance to win in a historic stadium, a great environment and against a great defense, you can't draw it up any better than that," McCord said. "To come away with the win − it wasn't perfect and there's still a lot to grow − it feels really, really good."

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State scores with 1 second left to top Notre Dame 17-14