It was quiet. Too quiet for a stadium packed with over 80,000 people screaming their lungs out just seconds prior. Then, the collective realization set in. Chip Trayanum was in. The ball had crossed the plane. With literally one second left on the clock, Ohio State beat Notre Dame in a finish so improbable it felt scripted by a Hollywood writer who hates the Irish.
Football is a game of inches, but on that Saturday night in South Bend, it was a game of personnel. Specifically, a lack of it.
If you ask any Buckeye fan where they were when it happened, they’ll tell you exactly which couch they jumped off of. If you ask a Notre Dame fan, they’ll probably just sigh and mutter something about Marcus Freeman’s math skills. It wasn't just a win; it was a statement. Ryan Day, who had been hearing for months that his team was "soft" or lacked the "toughness" of the Jim Tressel era, finally had his receipt. He didn't just take it; he shouted it into a post-game microphone in an interview with NBC's Maria Taylor that went viral before the teams even made it back to the locker rooms.
The Ten-Man Disaster No One Can Forget
Let’s be real. You can’t talk about how Ohio State beat Notre Dame without talking about the defensive alignment—or the lack thereof—on the final two plays. It’s the elephant in the room. It’s the thing that keeps defensive coordinators up at 3:00 AM.
Notre Dame played the two most critical snaps of the game with only ten men on the field.
Think about that for a second. In a top-ten matchup, with the eyes of the entire college football world watching, one of the most prestigious programs in history forgot how to count to eleven. Twice. On the second-to-last play, a chaotic incomplete pass, the Irish were missing a body. You’d think they’d fix it during the timeout or the subsequent huddle. They didn't. When Trayanum took the handoff for the game-winning touchdown, Notre Dame’s right side was wide open because the eleventh man was standing on the sideline, watching his teammates get moved like furniture.
Honestly, it’s heartbreaking if you’re an Irish fan. Al Golden, the defensive coordinator, and Marcus Freeman both took the heat for it. Freeman later admitted they knew they were short a man but didn't want to take a penalty that would move the ball half the distance to the goal. But here’s the thing: a five-yard penalty and a reset might have been better than a guaranteed lane for a touchdown.
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Kyle McCord’s Coming Out Party
People forget that heading into this game, everyone was questioning Kyle McCord. Was he the guy? Could he actually replace CJ Stroud? He hadn't looked particularly explosive in the weeks leading up to the trip to Indiana. The Buckeyes' offense looked clunky, sort of stuck in second gear.
Then came the final drive.
McCord went 5-of-10 for 73 yards on that last possession. It wasn't always pretty. He threw a ball that probably should have been intercepted. He took hits. But when it mattered—3rd and 19, for crying out loud—he found Emeka Egbuka. That 21-yard strike was arguably the most important throw of his career. It silenced the crowd. It moved the chains. It proved that while he might not have been the Heisman favorite, he had the "clutch gene" required to play quarterback at Ohio State.
The Buckeyes' defense also deserves a massive amount of credit. Jim Knowles’ unit held Sam Hartman and a very potent Irish offense to just 14 points. For a game that was hyped as a shootout, it was a defensive slugfest. JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer were constantly in the backfield, making life miserable for a Notre Dame offensive line that is usually considered the gold standard in college football.
The "Toughness" Narrative and Ryan Day’s Fire
We have to talk about Lou Holtz. Before the game, the legendary former Notre Dame coach went on The Pat McAfee Show and basically called Ohio State soft. He questioned their physicality. He said they didn't win the big ones.
He poked the bear.
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When Ohio State beat Notre Dame, it wasn't just a victory for the standings; it was a personal vindication for Ryan Day. His post-game rant wasn't just "coach speak." It was raw. "I’d like to know where Lou Holtz is right now," Day said, his voice cracking with intensity. "What he said about our team... I cannot believe. This is a tough team."
It was a side of Day we don't always see. Usually, he’s polished and corporate. This was different. This was a guy defending his players and his program’s identity. The narrative that Ohio State couldn't win a "gritty" game was dismantled in one singular yard. They didn't win with a 50-yard bomb to Marvin Harrison Jr. (though he was great as usual). They won by running the ball into the teeth of the defense when everyone knew it was coming.
That’s "big boy" football.
What the Analytics Tell Us
If you look at the post-game win expectancy, it fluctuated wildly. For most of the fourth quarter, Notre Dame actually had the statistical edge. Their run game, led by Audric Estimé, was starting to wear down the Buckeyes. They had the lead. They had the ball.
But football is a game of momentum and mistakes.
- Third Down Conversions: Both teams struggled, but Ohio State’s ability to convert that late 3rd and long was the statistical outlier that changed everything.
- Red Zone Efficiency: Ohio State struggled to finish drives early, which is why the game was so close to begin with.
- Time of Possession: It was nearly dead even, reflecting just how much of a chess match this really was.
Many analysts point to the 1st and 10 play call by Notre Dame on their final offensive possession. They tried to be aggressive instead of just bleeding the clock and forcing Ohio State to use their timeouts. Had they run the ball three times and punted, McCord might have had 30 seconds less to work with. In a game decided by one second, that’s an eternity.
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The Impact on the College Football Playoff
At the time, this win catapulted Ohio State into the thick of the playoff conversation. It was the "quality win" every committee member looks for. For Notre Dame, it was a "what if" that threatened to derail their entire season.
It also served as a blueprint for how to beat the Irish: challenge their depth and force their veteran quarterback into uncomfortable long-yardage situations. For the Buckeyes, it was a confidence booster that carried them through a grueling Big Ten schedule. Even though the season eventually hit some bumps, the victory in South Bend remained the high-water mark for the 2023 squad's resilience.
Why This Game Still Matters Today
We’re still talking about this because it represents the razor-thin margin between greatness and "almost." If Notre Dame has eleven men on the field, do they stop Trayanum? Probably. If they do, Marcus Freeman is hailed as a genius who took down a giant. Instead, he had to answer questions about basic math for a month.
It also shifted the perception of Ryan Day. It showed he could win a game that felt like a Big Ten slugfest from the 1990s. It wasn't the high-flying, 45-point explosion we expect from Columbus. It was ugly. It was muddy. It was perfect.
Takeaways for the Sophisticated Fan
If you're looking to understand the deeper implications of how Ohio State beat Notre Dame, you have to look past the scoreboard.
- Preparation is everything: The ten-man error wasn't a physical failure; it was a communication breakdown. In elite sports, your systems have to be "idiot-proof" under pressure. Notre Dame’s weren't.
- Narratives drive performance: Do not underestimate how much Lou Holtz’s comments fired up that locker room. Players hear everything. Coaches use everything.
- The "Close Game" Tax: Ryan Day has often been criticized for his record in games decided by one score. This win was a major monkey off his back, proving his team could execute when the pressure was highest.
- Recruiting Fallout: Games like this are massive for recruiting. High school stars want to play in programs that win the "Big Noon Kickoff" or "Saturday Night Football" matchups. The image of the Buckeyes celebrating on the leprechaun at midfield is a powerful recruiting tool.
Next time these two teams meet, you can bet the coaching staff will be counting heads on every single play. It’s a lesson learned the hard way. For Ohio State, it was a night of glory. For Notre Dame, it was a reminder that in football, one second and one man can be the difference between a season-defining win and a heartbreaking "what if."
To apply this to your own understanding of the game, watch the final drive again. Don't watch the ball. Watch the offensive line's footwork and the way the receivers clear out space. That’s where the game was actually won. The touchdown was just the result of sixty minutes of grueling physical labor.
For those tracking the trajectory of both programs, keep an eye on how they handle "critical situation" drills in spring practice. The fallout from this game changed how both teams approach their two-minute drills and goal-line stands. It wasn't just a loss for the Irish; it was a fundamental shift in their defensive philosophy. For the Buckeyes, it was the birth of a new, grittier identity that they’ve tried to maintain ever since.