The Ohio State Buckeyes kicked off their season how every team wants to, with a win. Ohio State's matchup with Notre Dame in Columbus was the premier game of week one, with both teams ranked in the top five. The game wasn't pretty, and the Buckeye's trailed for much of the game, but they pulled it out in the end. In this post, we're going to look at some Ohio State football takeaways after the big win.

Even with Ohio State's struggles, a top-five win in the first week of the season is still impressive. There's a long way to go this season, but this game gave us a good look at the Buckeyes going forward. Let's take a look at three of the biggest takeaways from Ohio State's win over Notre Dame.

3. TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams will be an elite running back tandem

Henderson was always going to be one of the best running backs in the country this season. He put up insane numbers as a freshman last year, with 1,248 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground. Coming into this season, many expected Henderson to be even better in his second go around.

The sophomore back didn't a ton of touches against the Irish, but he made them count. Henderson rushed 15 times for 91 yards, averaging over six yards per carry. Those aren't mind-blowing stats, but he did what he needed to all the same.

However, another Buckeyes running back showed out last night as well. Miyan Williams, a third-year back from Cincinnati, ran 14 times for 84 yards and a touchdown. He also caught a pass for 12 yards as just a cherry on top.

Ohio State's offense was already dangerous enough with one elite back, so just imagine it with two of them. The sample size may be small, but if both can maintain and build their production, the Buckeyes will be very hard to stop.

2. The defense could be elite

Ohio State's offense was arguably the best in the country last season, but the defense was more suspect. The Buckeyes allowed 366.6 yards per game in 2021, ninth in the Big Ten and behind teams such as Illinois and Nebraska. If the Buckeyes want to win it all this year, they know the defense will have to improve.

Fortunately for Ohio State football, the 2022 defense made a great first impression on Saturday night. The Buckeyes held the Irish to just 253 yards of total offense, including just 76 on the ground. They were also great on third downs, stopping 10 of the Irish's 13 attempts.

Senior linebacker Tommy Eichenberg was the star of the show, recording nine total tackles, including three for loss and two sacks.  Junior safety Lathan Ransom was all over the field as well, with seven tackles on the night. Sophomore defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr. also made an impact with four tackles, including two for loss and a sack.

Notre Dame's offense may not be the best in the world, but suffocating it that much is worthy of praise. If the Buckeyes can keep up with that performance, very few teams stand a chance at beating them.

1. The offense isn't perfect

Ohio State's offense has received plenty of praise before, and will receive plenty more in the future. The combination of Henderson, C.J. Stroud and Jaxon Smith-Njigba should be nearly unstoppable. However the Irish kept the Buckeyes in check through much of the game.

For 44 minutes and 43 seconds, Ohio State's dynamic offense could only muster one single touchdown. The Buckeyes finally came alive in the waning seconds of the third quarter, when Stroud connected with Xavier Johnson for a 24-yard touchdown to take the lead back. They then marched 95 yards down the field on their next drive, capping it off with a two-yard score by Williams.

Having a bad game is more than fair. After all, every team has down games and Ohio State football still got the win in the end. That's all well and good, but something much more concerning happened in the game.

Smith-Njigba, who led the Big Ten with 1,606 receiving yards last year, left the game early after taking a hard hit in the first quarter. Smith-Njigba, who had just two catches for three yards on Saturday, tried to reenter the game, but ultimately left by the second half. Head coach Ryan Day said he is hopeful his star wideout can play next week, but the injury is still concerning.

Ohio State's offense should get back to its elite form soon, especially with two games against Group of Five teams up next. There's just too much talent on that side of the ball to not be successful. However, expecting 50 points every week is unrealistic, and Saturday night showed why.