Roundtable: Was comeback at Notre Dame the biggest regular-season win in the Ryan Day era?
Editor's note: After each Ohio State football game, beat reporters Joey Kaufman and Bill Rabinowitz discuss the lasting storylines and other key developments.
Ohio State survived an instant classic.
Rallying in the last minute and a half at Notre Dame on Saturday night, it managed a 17-14 win over the Irish.
The waning moments were filled with drama, from quarterback Kyle McCord coming of age to Notre Dame lining up with only 10 players for the final two plays and Buckeyes coach Ryan Day calling out Lou Holtz.
The triumph gave the Buckeyes their first signature win for this season and an opportunity to push back on the perception as a program lacking in toughness, a sentiment echoed by Holtz that stirred up feelings.
Kaufman: There is no shortage of compelling storylines after that wild finish, but let’s start with this: Day called it a win that would go down as one of the great ones in program history. Emotions were running high in the aftermath, so that's a little much, but there is a convincing argument to be made that it was the biggest regular-season victory of Day’s tenure. What do you think?
Rabinowitz: Of a close game? Yes. The 56-27 blowout of Michigan in 2019 was big because it was his first over the Wolverines, but in terms of drama, it's hard to top a last-minute win on the road like Saturday's. Ohio State's situation looked borderline hopeless after Notre Dame got two quick first downs and had the ball with under 4 minutes left. Then J.T. Tuimoloau's tackle for loss set in motion what came next. Just a huge win.
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Kaufman: Some consideration should be given to last season's come-from-behind win at Penn State, which finished at No. 7 in the polls. The Buckeyes trailed early in the fourth quarter, before scoring four touchdowns. But Saturday in South Bend presented more dicey conditions. McCord was a quarterback in only his fifth start and needed to make a series of difficult throws in high-leverage situations. He delivered against a top-10 opponent on the road despite his inexperience.
Rabinowitz: That really was a terrific drive. Notre Dame's defense is good. Marvin Harrison Jr. had a sprained ankle he was playing through. To go 65 yards in 85 seconds with only one timeout is impressive, and most of those clutch throws came on third or fourth down. During the quarterback battle with Devin Brown, players and coaches talked often about McCord's poise and calm under pressure. They were proven right. And have we mentioned that Notre Dame had only 10 players on the field on the last two plays?
Kaufman: We should, because it was inexcusable from Marcus Freeman's staff. Not only is it basic procedural stuff, but it happened at the most critical time and after Notre Dame called a timeout. Not a mistake Kirby Smart makes. Who knows if Chip Trayanum still crashes into the end zone if the Irish have 11 defenders out, but it certainly created more favorable numbers for the Buckeyes.
Rabinowitz: I mentioned this on our podcast, which I hope our readers listen to, but could you imagine if Ohio State had made that mistake? It'd be pitchforks and torches. Trayanum barely, but clearly, got the ball across the goal line. An 11th defender might have made the difference there. That's sports, though. The biggest cliche is that they are games of inches. That was further proof.
Kaufman: Saturday was full of plays that were settled by the tiniest of margins, like Emeka Egbuka's end-around on fourth-and-1 on Ohio State's penultimate drive that fell short of the first-down marker. The Buckeyes' response stood out. Instead of letting Notre Dame ice the game when it took over with 4:12 left, the Buckeyes forced the Irish to punt. A tackle for a loss and pass break-up from Tuimoloau set them back. They never wilted.
Rabinowitz: It would be overstating it to say the comeback saved the season. One loss wouldn't have doomed the Buckeyes. But it would have left them with no margin for error. Penn State and Michigan will be tough games. It's a lot to expect Ohio State to win both, though I know OSU fans expect and demand that. A top-10 win on the road will be quit the chit come CFP selection time as long as the Buckeyes continue to improve. And they need to.
Kaufman: When the Buckeyes secured the No. 4 seed last season, the selection committee cited their win over Notre Dame. So this should help out their playoff resume once again. They also have more breathing room as they navigate the schedule in October and November. Which matters, because this is a team that is still a work in progress, particularly with an offensive line that left McCord under pressure on nearly half of his dropbacks and had trouble in short-yardage situations.
Rabinowitz: I believe the inconsistency of the offensive line is the only thing holding this team back from being a juggernaut. You could also make the case that the Buckeyes need a better pass rush. But the offensive line, particularly its inability to create enough space in short-yardage situations, could doom the Buckeyes. It's not time to panic. They are integrating three new starters, and the season is only a month old. Still, line play needs to improve.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Follow him on Facebook and X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. He can also be contacted at jkaufman@dispatch.com.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Was comeback at Notre Dame Ryan Day's biggest regular-season win?
