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Ohio State

Idle week gives Buckeyes time to recover after epic win at Notre Dame

Spencer-Holbrookby: Spencer Holbrook09/27/23SpencerHolbrook
Cody Simon by Matt Parker -- Lettermen Row
Cody Simon made a critical fourth-down stop on Saturday. (Matt Parker/Lettermen Row)

COLUMBUS — Ohio State gave itself just a little bit more time to savor that win from Saturday night.

In a normal week, the Buckeyes would have quickly turned the page on Sunday, even if it was a top-10 win on the road that was decided on one of the game’s final plays. But with the idle week on deck, Ohio State did take some time to appreciate what the 17-14 win over Notre Dame meant for the Buckeyes as a team and as a program.

“The bye week definitely gives you a chance to catch your breath,” Ohio State linebacker Cody Simon said Wednesday at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. “And we made sure we celebrated that win. That was probably the most electric our locker room’s ever been after a game. Because we knew the moment was so big, and there was a lot of attention swirling around that game. It’s College GameDay. You know, that’s a big deal.

“And so to get a top-10 win like that was a really big deal for our team.”

Ohio State now gets to enjoy a weekend away from the rigors that come with game days. Notre Dame, meanwhile, has yet another primetime showdown on its hands this weekend when it travels to Durham for a matchup against Duke.

The Buckeyes aren’t going to stop working just because they’re in the middle of an off week. They’re going to have some time away, but they’re also going to stay working on their crafts to make sure they’re just as sharp on the other side of the idle week as they are right now.

It’s not time to just keep celebrating the win over Notre Dame. Ohio State is giving itself plenty of time to do so — while making sure to remain locked on the future and the upcoming schedule.

“The amazing thing about football is it’s really all about fundamentals. And it’s all about the basics. Bye weeks, that’s the main focus of bye weeks is getting back to, you know, being violent with your hands, footwork, communication,” Simon said. “Everything’s all simple. And that’s the thing about these big moments in games. You think it’s miraculous plays, but it’s really just the basics and who can do their basics better than the other team.”

Ohio State did the basics well enough to earn a hard-fought top-10 win on the road Saturday night. Now it gets some time to celebrate the win — and rightfully so.

But the Buckeyes are also back to the basics, keeping an eye on getting better for the final eight weeks of the season.

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