Notre Dame holds Ohio State, CJ Stroud to single digit score at halftime for second time ever
The Notre Dame defense held Ohio State to a rare offensive low in the first half of their matchup, limiting CJ Stroud‘s offense in a big way. For just the second time of his career as quarterback of the Buckeyes, Stroud failed to lead the team to a double-digit score at halftime. The only other team to hold Stroud in check for the first half was Oregon last season.
Notre Dame holds Ohio State to rare low on offense
Stroud finished the first half with just 99 yards and one touchdown, as the Buckeyes trailed Notre Dame 10-7 at the break. Notre Dame’s defense held for most of the half, but Ohio State had a shot to reach the double-digit mark near the end of the first half with a 39-yard field goal attempt. Unfortunately, kicker Noah Ruggles — who made 20-of-21 field goal attempts last season — missed the scoring try. As a result, Stroud and the Buckeyes faced just their second time with a single-digit first half.
Unfortunately for the Fighting Irish, the second half saw them held scoreless as Stroud and the Buckeyes managed to put together a pair of scoring drives to win the game 21-10.
After the game, Stroud commented on how tough the game was for him, while praising his teammates for stepping up.
“First of all I just wanna give all glory to God. This is a hard-fought win,” started Stroud after the game. “I love my brothers man, this is what we did in the offseason man. It was a tough win and we’re a tough team, so that’s what we tried to prove tonight. But without Jaxon it was very tough. But the young guys stepped up really big … I just appreciate my team for sticking with me. It wasn’t perfect by me or the team and Notre Dame played hard, but we came away with the victory.”
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Stroud was then asked how it felt to see his team punch the ball into the end zone on their final scoring drive of the game — a 14-play, 95-yard drive that ended with a Miyan Williams rushing touchdown.
“It was just great to see, all the work we put in, in the weight room … Coach Day preaching on us that we gotta run the ball. To be able to do it in those clutch moments, it’s huge.
“We’re just battle tested. God put us through a lot last season but it was on purpose. God puts everybody through something for a reason. We were tough enough to get through it last season, so that’s why we learned from it this year.”