Notre Dame football: Irish first half observations vs Ohio State

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Sep 3, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman before the game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports /

Irish defense is elite

We heard a lot about this Notre Dame football team on the defensive side of the ball all offseason, and they have certainly come to play on Saturday night. We are seeing them dominate the trenches, get to CJ Stroud, and have kept the combination of Stroud and Jaxon Smith-Njigba in check early on.

It remains to be seen whether or not the Irish can continue this strong play, as the Buckeyes are supposed to be an offense that scores 30-plus per game. Instead, they have managed only seven points against Notre Dame through the first 30 minutes, thanks to a great game plan put together by Al Golden and Freeman.

You have to think that the Ohio State offense is going to get theirs in the second half, but the real importance is on the Irish limiting the damage. Games like this between great programs tend to go down to the wire, and if the defense continues on this trend, there is no reason the Irish cannot come out on top.

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