This Saturday at 7:30 PM, the Ohio State Buckeyes will be facing off against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in Columbus, Ohio, for only the seventh time and only the fifth time during the regular season ever. The fact that these two bluebloods have only played each other less than ten times astonishes me.
With the way that conference realignment is taking over this sport, Notre Dame might want to learn to get comfortable in Columbus, as this may be the start of a more consistent relationship between the two programs. The connection between these two programs is insane with new Notre Dame head coach, Marcus Freeman, being a former player at Ohio State as well as another coach on staff, James Laurinaitis. Isaiah Pryor who currently plays for the Fighting Irish is a former transfer from Ohio State.
Before this Saturday gets downright ugly, I wanted to reflect back on the previous meetings between the schools.
1935: Notre Dame Fighting Irish victory, 18-13
19 days to go – Wayne Millner catches a 19 yard touchdown pass from Bill Shakespeare to defeat that team from Ohio 18-13 in the first “Game of the Century”#GoIrish☘️ #IrishCounTDown https://t.co/AOVLA6RJtT pic.twitter.com/0WjnMJnytO
— 4 Horsemen Podcast (@HorsemenPod) August 15, 2022
You’re welcome for finding a highlight from this game. On November 2, 1935, undefeated Notre Dame (5-0) would face off against an undefeated Ohio State (4-0) squad. Buckeyes head coach, Francis Schmidt, had his team up 13-0 heading into the fourth quarter until the Fighting Irish came storming back and scored three unanswered touchdowns, the last occurring with the 32 seconds left. This game was dubbed the “Game of the Century” by numerous outlets at the time.
1936: Notre Dame Fighting Irish victory, 7-2
Leading up to Saturday's game, we're looking back on past matchups between Ohio State and Notre Dame.
In 1936, the Buckeyes made their first trip to South Bend looking to avenge a loss in the 1935 "Game of the Century." https://t.co/iFc8JLeQxx
— FOX 28 Columbus (@fox28columbus) August 29, 2022
The Ohio State Buckeyes made their first trip to South Bend, Indiana the next year in 1936 after suffering a painful loss at home in 1935. Ohio State held a .500 record at 2-2 and Notre Dame was 3-1 and this game occurred during an insane storm that played a huge role in the nine total points scored. The Fighting Irish went up 7-0 in the second quarter and the only points the Buckeyes could muster was on a safety from a blocked punt, also in the second quarter.
1995: Ohio State Buckeyes victory, 45-26
John Cooper and his Ohio State Buckeyes came into this game on September 30th, ranked seventh in the country, and were also favored by seven over Lou Holtz and his 15th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The highlight above and Heisman Trophy winner, Eddie George, gets most of the attention, but Bobby Hoying was fantastic as well tossing four touchdown passes.
The Buckeyes were actually losing at halftime, 17-14, but scored 31 points in the second half on their way to accumulating an insane 533 total yards of offense. Eddie George accounted for 207 of those yards and also two of the touchdowns. Another star, receiver Terry Glenn, scored two touchdowns that day.
Here are a few Eddie George highlights from the Ohio State vs Notre Dame game in 1995 when Eddie ran for 206 yards and 2 TDs…pic.twitter.com/3C1kOIeZxi
— Mr. Ohio (@MrOH1O) August 12, 2022
1996: Ohio State Buckeyes victory, 29-16
Ohio State took on Notre Dame on September 28, 1996 and was able to earn another strong victory over the Fighting Irish, 29-16. John Cooper and the Buckeyes were ranked fourth and Notre Dame was ranked fifth and the stakes were high.
Dimitrious Stanley started the game off right with an 85-yard kick-off return that led to a Pepe Pearson touchdown. Pearson had a huge game running for 273 yards and two touchdowns on just 29 carries. Stanley Jackson and Joe Germaine took turns carving up the Fighting Irish as Jackson completed nine of 15 passing attempts for 154 yards and two touchdowns while Germaine completed four of five attempts for 31 yards.
Ohio State vs. Notre Dame 1996. Some counter-dart action from OSU. College and Pro Football Hall of Famer Orlando Pace at left tackle. pic.twitter.com/QHw1OW8CPh
— Brad Kelly (@CoachBKelly) September 4, 2020
2006: Ohio State Buckeyes victory, 34-20
Another Ohio State beat down of Notre Dame as Troy Smith lit the Fighting Irish up completing 19 of 28 passes for 342 yards and two touchdowns. Smith connected with Ted Ginn for eight receptions for 167 yards and a touchdown, which was 56 yards. Santonio Holmes also had an insane game with five receptions for 124 yards and one touchdown, which was 85 yards. This Fiesta Bowl contest pitted the #4 Ohio State Buckeyes against #5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Ohio State vs Notre Dame
2006 Fiesta Bowl pic.twitter.com/8D19b0e87d
— Buckeye Highlights (@OSUBuckiHighlit) July 13, 2022
2016: Ohio State Buckeyes victory, 44-28
In another Fiesta Bowl matchup, the Ohio State Buckeyes came in ranked seventh in the country against the eighth-ranked, Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Ezekiel Elliott had another huge day that season with 27 carries for 149 yards and four touchdowns.
J.T. Barrett also had a big day completing 13 of his 19 passing attempts for 211 yards and a touchdown. Michael Thomas tallied seven receptions for a team-leading 72 receiving yards. Unfortunately, Joey Bosa was ejected in the first quarter.
Here’s a reminder of what happened the last time Ohio State played Notre Dame in 2016 👀.
pic.twitter.com/45sftW6sbh— The Scarlet and Gray Podcast (@TheSG_Podcast) August 31, 2022
