DALLAS – doesn’t get much closer, and it doesn’t get much better than the Ohio State Buckeyes' 17-14 win at Notre Dame on Saturday. The No. 6 Buckeyes scored on their final play from a yard out, essentially walking off past the No. 9 Fighting Irish in a memorable rally in primetime. For completing what was a 15-play, 65-yard drive to rally and win, the Buckeyes (4-0) are the Cheez-It National Team of the Week, as selected by the All-America Committee of the Football Writers Association of America.
DeaMonte Trayanum scored the game-winner to rally past what was a Notre Dame 14-10 lead halfway through the fourth quarter. Taking the ball with 8:22 left, Ohio State drove deep into Irish territory on its next possession but turned the ball over on downs. The Buckeyes got the ball back with under 90 seconds to play and drove to the Notre Dame 1-yard line with seven seconds left following a 21-yard completion to Emeka Egbuka.
Two plays later Trayanum ran up the middle for the game-winner. Buckeyes quarterback Kyle McCord finished 21-of-37 passing for 240 yards, including the clutch connection with Egbuka, one of three clutch throws on third- or fourth-down on the final drive. Egbuka led OSU receivers with seven catches for 96 yards. TreVeyon Henderson led the Ohio State run game with 104 yards on 14 carries and a score. Lathan Ransom paced the defense with 13 tackles, including seven solos.
“At the end of the day, you either get the yard or you don’t,” Trayanum said in a post-game presser.
Ohio State swept the home-and-home series – the Buckeyes won last year, 20-10 – and has now own six straight games against Notre Dame going back to 1995. The Buckeyes’ defense that has given up only 34 points in four games is currently tied for the second-best scoring defense in the FBS (with Oklahoma), giving up 8.5 points per game. Since 2002, the FWAA has named a National Team of the Week. Coming into the 2023 season, 284 teams have been honored, including 101 different Division I programs. Each honored team will receive a custom Cheez-It "care package" along with a hand-crafted game ball made in America by Dallas-based Big Game USA, the nation's leading manufacturer of custom footballs. This is Ohio State’s sixth national team of the week honor. The Buckeyes are idle this coming weekend. The other National Team of the Week nominees for the weekend of Sept. 23 were:
Florida State (4-0): In another of the day’s feature games, the Seminoles won in Clemson’s Death Valley 31-24 in overtime, snapping a seven-game losing streak to the Tigers. Quarterback Jordan Travis lofted a perfect pass to a leaping Keon Coleman just over the goal line for a 24-yard touchdown catch on the opening possession. The Seminoles then held Clemson out of the end zone on downs. Clemson missed a 20-yard field goal with 1:45 left that would have given it the lead.
Oregon (4-0): The No. 10 Ducks erupted for a 35-0 halftime lead and commanded the game throughout in a 42-6 demolishing of No. 19 Colorado before a sold out Autzen Stadium. At halftime, Oregon had more first downs (22) than Colorado had total yards (21) and the Ducks held a 481-72 advantage in total yards at the break following the third quarter. Oregon had seven sacks and only gave up a score with 2:51 left.