Ohio State set for season opener: ‘We’ve got a lot to prove’

“Well, I think coming off of last year, there’s no big heads,” said Day, whose Buckeyes went 11-2 last year but dropped decisive contests against Oregon and Michigan. “I mean this team is hungry. This team has been hungry. It’s been gritty, and we gotta go win this first game.

“We’ve got a lot to prove.”

Here are five things to know about the game:

1. Notre Dame offers a unique challenge on offense.

The best player on the Fighting Irish offense is Michael Mayer, a 6-foot-5, 265-pound tight end from northern Kentucky who has been compared favorably to former NFL standout Rob Gronkowski.

Mayer had 840 receiving yards last season and is an imposing presence for Notre Dame, which has some questions at the other skill position spots.

“You have to mix it up,” new Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said when asked how to defend such a tight end. “You have to blend in different coverages and have people who are on him coming from different directions. He’s an excellent player. He’s an NFL player. He has that ability to lean into the coverage and find the open spot, so it is about knowing where he is at all times and making sure that we’re changing it up enough with him to keep him off balance.”

2. The Fighting Irish have a first-time starter at quarterback.

Tyler Buchner was a four-star prospect coming out of La Jolla, Calif., last year, and he saw action in 10 games as a true freshman.

The 6-1, 215-pounder threw for 298 yards and ran for 368 yards last season and is considered a dual-threat who could present some problems for an Ohio State team breaking in a new defensive scheme.

“It’s kind of a wild card,” Knowles said of facing a first-time starter at QB. “You don’t know what to except as much so you’ve really got to be ready for anything. You fall back on more of your system because you really don’t know what to expect.”

Other players to watch on offense for Notre Dame include offensive linemen Blake Fisher, Joe Alt, Josh Lugg and Jarrett Patterson, who is questionable with an injury. They are among the top 25 players at their positions according to Pro Football Focus, though Football Outsiders rated the front only average last season as it ranked 70th in Division I FBS in average line yards, an advanced metric that credits the front for creating the first four yards of a run as successful.

The numbers were worse for pass protection as the Irish ranked 84th in sack rate, including 94th on passing downs.

3. The Irish defense could be formidable.

Notre Dame ranked 43rd in total defense nationally last season and 15th in scoring defense with the No. 23 mark in pass efficiency defense.

The defense lost star safety Kyle Hamilton, though he missed about half of the 2021 season with an injury, but brings back seven startersl.

Junior end Isaiah Foskey headlines the unit with 15 career sacks, and it should benefit from the addition of Brandon Joseph, an All-Big Ten safety who transferred from Northwestern.

“Foskey is a tremendous player,” Day said. “He is very athletic, projected first rounder. It’s gonna be a huge challenge for (our offensive tackles) in this game. We’ve got to know exactly where he is at all times.”

4. Day feels a lot more comfortable with his squad than he did at this time a year ago, especially quarterback C.J. Stroud.

Ohio State was a two-touchdown favorite heading to Minnesota to open last season, but Day admitted feeling uneasy because he had many players getting ready to see their first major playing time.

That is not the case now.

“Knowing that you have somebody who’s been through the games before and been through the fire, that does help,” Day said. “It isn’t about helping you get any (more) sleep but looking at what (Stroud) can handle in terms of putting in the game plan. Hopefully we can make game-time adjustments because there’s a Rolodex of plays under his belt that we can go back to if we need to, and even just communicating what’s going on in game for guys who have been in first games are important because it was just on both sides, there’s going to be things that we haven’t seen.

“We have to be able to make in game adjustments quickly and having experience certainly helps in that area.”

5. It will be a big recruiting weekend.

As is typical for a marquee game, Ohio State expects to host a large number of high-profile recruits from multiple classes on Saturday night.

Day, who figures to be more directly concerned about coaching, said he trusts his recruiting staff to maximize the experience for those high schoolers on hand.

Having already worked on developing relationships with the older recruits, he has a different goal in mind for this weekend when it comes to attracting future talent.

“Now it’s time to go play the game and just allow them the opportunity to see what the atmosphere at Ohio State is like and playing in Ohio Stadium,” Day said. “It’s a top 10 matchup, an ESPN game, so just the whole atmosphere — (hopefully they) just take it all in and then picture themselves being on that field.

“I think a lot of guys are really excited. We’ve got people flying in from all over the country here to be part of this game, so we’re happy that they’re going to be with us for this one.”

SATURDAY’S GAME

Notre Dame at Ohio State, 7:30 p.m., ABC, 1410