The opportunity was there for Notre Dame football. They had the chance to exceed past shortcomings over the last several seasons. In a season that resembles parity across the country in most conferences, the Fighting Irish had more than a fighting chance against the always tough Ohio State Buckeyes. But as we know, in the end, they failed to succeed in a dramatic finish, losing 17-14.
All it took was for Sam Hartman to put on a Notre Dame football jersey and throw the football all over the field against Navy in their first game in Dublin, Ireland for the hype to began. In college football, it can be difficult to tell how good or bad a team is early on because they don't face the greatest up competition at the beginning of the season. But Notre Dame looked different, looked exciting and renewed as they thrashed the Midshipmen — and it was all because of Hartman. He threw for 251 yards and three touchdowns in a 42-3 win over Navy.
Hartman, in his 50th start of his career, didn't put up quite the same numbers against Ohio State. He threw for only 175 yards and a touchdown. That one touchdown was a crucial fourth quarter one that gave Notre Dame a lead that almost led them to victory. But a nearly game-ending drive by the Buckeyes football team that left one second on the clock, eventually secured the victory when Chip Trayanum ran one-yard for a touchdown.
So, who's to blame for this?
Marcus Freeman
If you're a college football fan, deep down, you know that, for the most part, this was just a really well-balanced, hard-fought football game between two tough defensive teams. Ohio State football had only allowed 20 points in three games before the game on Saturday, while Notre Dame had allowed 47 in four games. The game was much like this last season when Notre Dame visited Ohio State in Columbus, ending with a Buckeyes 21-10 victory.
So, for the most part, Saturday's game was just good ole fashioned, hard-nosed football. There was little to blame from a players standpoint while a chess match was going on between coaches for nearly four quarters. That is until it got late in the game and perhaps some of Freeman's young head coaching became apparent.
It's clear that the blame for Notre Dame's loss to Ohio State football can be attributed to head coach Marcus Freeman's decisions. Freeman, 37, has acknowledged as much, in fact.
Notre Dame had just 10 players on the field for the crucial play that allowed Chip Trayanum to score with one second left. Despite knowing they were shorthanded, the coaching staff decided against risking a penalty by attempting to get a fourth defensive lineman on the field. This decision ultimately proved costly, and Freeman himself admitted, “It’s on us. We’ve got to be better,” Freeman said, via Yahoo Sports.
Furthermore, the management of timeouts in the late stages of the game raises concerns. With limited timeouts remaining, Notre Dame used its last timeout before second down, leaving them with no means to stop the clock later. This allowed Ohio State football two chances at the end zone, and the Irish were unable to communicate effectively due to the loud crowd.
“We called a timeout [on second down] and so there’s two plays really to be prepared for in that situation and so they went and threw an incomplete pass [on second down], had three seconds left and we couldn’t get a timeout, we’re out of timeouts,” Freeman said. “The crowd’s loud, you can’t relay a message, and so I told them we’re probably going to run the same call twice and that’s what we ended up doing.”
Freeman's explanation highlights a missed opportunity and a lack of coaching situational football.
Lastly, the coaching staff's approach on Notre Dame's penultimate offensive possession is questionable. Rather than simply running the ball to run down the clock and limit Ohio State's chances, Freeman's decision to attempt a screen pass on second down, which ultimately stopped the clock, gave the Buckeyes more time for their game-winning drive.
Freeman and Notre Dame aren't out of the College Football Playoff race yet, however, contrary to what Paul Finebaum believes. They still have some big games left on their schedule in the likes of Clemson, USC and even an ranked Duke team next week where they can make up some ground after a close loss to a top-5 team in Ohio State. But coaching better in situational football will be imperative for this team moving forward, and that falls solely on Freeman.
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