Ohio State vs. Notre Dame game balls

In a game that lived up to its hype Saturday but didn’t fall the right way for No. 9 Notre Dame in a 17-14 last-second loss to No. 6 Ohio State, there were still plenty of game balls to pass around in this well-played game.

Here are the three most deserving. 

Defensive lineman Javontae Jean-Baptiste

The Irish graduate was all over the field against the team he transferred from, finishing with 8 tackles, which tied for a team-high, with 1 quarterback hurry.

The most memorable play for the Irish defensive lineman came in the second quarter on his 3rd-and-goal tackle at the one-yard line when he stuffed Buckeyes senior tailback Miyan Williams for no gain on a play that set up a fourth-and-goal stop and a goal-line stand that kept this a scoreless game. 

Jean-Baptiste added more critical stops on a third-and-one and a fourth-and-one late in the fourth quarter which at the time preserved a 14-10 lead for Notre Dame.

Tight end Mitchell Evans

The Irish junior recorded career highs with both 7 receptions and 75 yards, and became an important cog to an Irish offense that struggled at times against Ohio State.

Evans made multiple third-down conversion catches in the game on both acrobatic one-handed grabs and just reliable route running.

Evans entered Saturday with only 5 catches on the season for 63 yards, meaning that he more than doubled his season production in this game against Ohio State. 

Evans’ 25-yard fourth-quarter catch on a 3rd-and-10 kept a drive alive that ended in a touchdown which gave Notre Dame a 14-10 lead it couldn’t hold onto. 

Quarterback Sam Hartman

With 17-of-25 passing for 175 yards and 1 touchdown, this wasn’t the graduate’s best statistical outing of the season.

But with no interceptions and some critical scoring drives, Hartman efficiently managed the game and made all the necessary plays for No. 9 Notre Dame to at least have a chance to beat the No. 6 Buckeyes, though his work wasn’t enough. 

Hartman seemed to put this game on ice early in the fourth quarter when he led an 11-play, 96-yard touchdown drive that gave the Irish a 14-10 lead that they were unable to hold onto.