Kyle McCord: Ohio State proved people wrong, ourselves right in Notre Dame win

Ohio State took care of business in one of the most highly anticipated college football games of the entire season, defeating Notre Dame on the road 17-14 on the road Saturday night.

Many doubted the Buckeyes ahead of the matchup, with the comments specifically by former Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz grabbing the attention of Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day who gave a fiery post-game interview after the win.

Buckeyes quarterback Kyle McCord was asked about his head coach’s emotion following the game, touching on his team silencing their critics after leading a game-winning drive capped off with a touchdown as time expired.

“I think that’s definitely the most animated I’ve ever seen him and rightfully so,” McCord said. “People were taking shots at him, taking shots at the team that weren’t true.”

Holtz’s criticism was specific to the toughness and physicality of the Buckeyes, which they clearly answered in South Bend on Saturday night.

The Buckeyes had an excellent performance on defense, posting a first-half shutout versus the Fighting Irish and holding them to just 14 points and 351 yards of total offense in the game. Ohio State limited veteran quarterback Sam Hartman to 175 yards and a touchdown in his 50th collegiate start, which represented list lowest passing yardage total in a game since the 2020 season in a win over Virginia Tech when he was still a member of Wake Forest‘s team.

They also got it done on the ground, rushing for 126 yards and punching in a one-yard rush on the goal line courtesy of Chip Trayanum with one second remaining in the game to seal the deal.

“I think we did a good job of just kind of staying quiet, but that was definitely fuel to the fire. I’d be lying if we said that didn’t bother us and I think we came out here and I think we proved a lot of people wrong. But the bigger thing is I think we proved ourselves right,” McCord said.

McCord finished the game with 240 yards in the air, remaining undefeated as Ohio State’s stater despite facing some criticism of his own amid some early season struggles.

It’s clear that outside doubt worked perfectly into the hands of the Buckeyes and played an impact on their biggest statement win of the season. And they’ll look to keep that momentum going into next Saturday, as they head back to Ohio Stadium to face Maryland in their second Big 10 conference matchup of the season.