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In perhaps the most anticipated game of Week 1 in college football, the then-No. 5 Notre Dame was not a match for the No. 2 Ohio State. The Buckeyes won 21-10, making the Fighting Irish fall to No. 8 in the latest rankings. With first-year Notre Dame football head coach Marcus Freeman on the sidelines, there are a lot of expectations surrounding the Fighting Irish.
Starting the season with a loss is not ideal and especially having your offense shut down for the entire second half. However, there is still a lot to take off this loss and study for future games this season.
Some players had their highlights on Saturday. With that being said, here are some Notre Dame players who stood out in the loss against Ohio State in Week 1.
The Fighting Irish’s biggest standout players from Week 1 loss versus Ohio State
3. QB Tyler Buchner
Although the Fighting Irish did not score in the entire second half, there are still some good things to take from the team's offensive performance.
Sophomore Tyler Buchner made his first start as Notre Dame's quarterback. He completed 10 of his 17 pass attempts for 177 yards. He also added 18 rushing yards. Even if Notre Dame football had a rough second half, Buchner's first half is worth a highlight.
The quarterback started the game with a 54-yard play to Lorenzo Styles. Not only he was able to find his teammate, but he did it with a defender coming right at him.
The fact that Notre Dame QB Tyler Buchner pulled this on the option (not anticipating a completely blown assignment), stood in the face of pressure, released quickly and found Lorenzo Styles on the outside shoulder on the first play of his first start says a lot about his game. pic.twitter.com/nS9mlLEVxN
— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) September 6, 2022
He completed all his first eight pass attempts, which allowed Notre Dame to go into halftime with a 10-7 lead. His only two completions in the second half show that there is still a lot of work to do. Zero turnovers against an elite team such as Ohio State is a good first impression for the young playmaker.
However, with more practice and game experience, Buchner should become a solid quarterback and help the Fighting Irish compete for a College Football Playoff spot.
2. CB Clarence Lewis
In a game where Notre Dame football's offense was underwhelming, most of the praise goes to the defense. The unit was able to hold the Buckeyes to just one touchdown in the entire first half. Facing a team with a Heisman Trophy contender in quarterback C.J. Stroud, things were not as bad as they seem.
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One of the standouts from the Fighting Irish's defense was Clarence Lewis. The junior cornerback had a team-best seven tackles, with six of them being solo. He also registered a pass deflection, which came on a pass intended to wide receiver Emeka Egbuka in the end zone. The play would result in a missed field goal by the Buckeyes.
Lewis is trying to build up from his performance in 2021. Last season, he finished with the third-best mark on the team with 53 tackles, 44 of them solo. He also had two tackles for loss, an interception and one sack.
He will also try to make Notre Dame football fans forget his performance in the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma State. The Cowboys scored three touchdowns under Lewis' coverage. If the 2022 season opener indicates something, he is ready to forget his mistakes. With Lewis stepping up, Notre Dame's defense will become a game-changing factor.
1. CB TaRiq Bracy
Perhaps the best player from the Fighting Irish secondary was TaRiq Bracy. The cornerback had four tackles and one tackle for loss. Even though those numbers do not seem very impressive, he made some good plays that do not show up in the stats.
Bracy was responsible for guarding wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Before the Buckeye went down with an injury, Bracy limited him to just two catches for a total of three yards. It was only a sign of his quality man coverage he would have for the rest of the night.
He helped limit Ohio State to its lowest yards per pass attempt since 2020 with 6.6, according to Sports Illustrated. The Buckeyes also only averaged 9.29 yards per completion, their lowest since the CFP Semifinal against the Clemson Tigers.
He also played in all but five of the 69 defensive snaps for Notre Dame football, plus nine on special teams. Not only does it show his importance to the team, but also how much energy it will take for him to handle the entire season.
As a fifth-year senior, Bracy is one of the most experienced players on the Fighting Irish roster. He is likely one of the leaders in the locker room, and because of that, how he responds to the loss could affect how the rest of the team does it. Should he guide his unit for better performances this season, Notre Dame has a real shot at having one of the best defenses in the nation.
