Notre Dame lines up with only 10 defenders on final two Ohio State plays

Notre Dame was missing a player on defense as it lined up to try to stop Ohio State at the goal line in Saturday evening’s contest. For both of the final two plays, including the game-winning touchdown from Chip Trayanum, the Fighting Irish had just 10 men on the field.

That lapse in judgment ultimately ended up costing them the game as they lost 17-14. With one less tackler to worry about Trayanum was able to easily push his way up the middle and across the goal line for the score. Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman took ownership for the costly mistake postgame.

“It’s on us,” he said. “We gotta be better.”

As noted by some of you, Notre Dame ALSO only had 10 guys on the field for the pass play before the TD. pic.twitter.com/XR35RaBTFS

— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) September 24, 2023

Just moments earlier, it looked as if Notre Dame had a victory in hand as it led 14-10 and possessed the ball with 4:12 remaining. The Fighting Irish managed a first down and forced Ohio State to call as they ran some time off the clock. However, the Buckeyes later forced Notre Dame to punt and got the ball back with 1:26 left.

Kyle McCord‘s first two passes of the game-winning drive fell incomplete before he connected with Emeka Egbuka for a 23-yard gain. That was one of three passes that McCord completed for 15-plus yards on the drive, as he later found Egbuka again for a 21-yard gain to set Ohio State up at the 1-yard line.

McCord’s first two passes from the goal line fell incomplete as well, including on second down when Notre Dame also had only 10 players on the field. That set up third down, but the Fighting Irish were still unprepared to come up with the stop as the Buckeyes punched it in to go up.

Notre Dame would get the ball back for one final play, but was forced into making several laterals as it hoped for a miracle to run away with a win. Ultimately, that never came as the Buckeyes defense once again stopped them to secure the victory.

It’s a crushing blow for Notre Dame fans, especially considering the crucial error on part of the coaching staff in crunch time. The Fighting Irish entered the game with a 4-0 record, and securing a win would have gone a long way in building their resume for the College Football Playoff.

That goal is still not out of the question for Notre Dame, though it will need to claw its way back into the conversation after Saturday’s result. That begins with a big opportunity on the road at No. 18 Duke in Week 5.