Notre Dame Football: Some Notre Dame-Ohio State History and Hype

As a Notre Dame Fighting Irish fan in Ohio State Buckeye country, I am beyond hyped for the upcoming battle between the gold and blue and the scarlet and gray on September 3, 2022. While I take an alarming amount of delight in watching the team from my home state lose, I have a lot of respect for the Buckeyes, and am excited to see two teams with such storied histories go head to head. However, I couldn’t leave my pettiness out of this.

As of last week, tOSU has officially landed a trademark for the word “THE” for use on fan gear. You could say they’re a little smug, and I have to see the Irish bring the Buckeyes down from their cloud.

They’re also at a ten about Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman’s comments about academic standards for college athletes and I need them to be at a two. Yes, the comments are sure to add some degree of heat to the atmosphere and make for some interesting College GameDay signs.

While I wish this matchup could be as regular as the USC game, some things are better left enjoyed as a treat. So what has been leading up to this game?

What’s the Backstory?

These Midwestern powerhouses have faced off six times in total. The two teams met for the first time in Columbus in 1935 in what was known as the “Game of the Century’’ before the 1993 Florida State game. Notre Dame rallied in the fourth quarter and Irish end Wayne Milner caught a game-winning touchdown to lock it in 18-13, Notre Dame. The following year, the Irish beat the Buckeyes 7-2 on a rainy Halloween in front of 50,000 fans, a record at the time for Notre Dame Stadium.

The Buckeyes notched their first victory against the Irish in 1995 in Columbus and scored the most points against Notre Dame of any team since 1986, with a final score of 45-26. Ohio State tied the series in South Bend the following year with a 29-16 win.

It was in 2006 that the Buckeyes took the lead in the series. In the Fiesta Bowl on January 2 of that year, with a 34-20 win. I don’t exactly have the fondest memories of January 1, 2016. Not only was I recovering from the removal of all four of my wisdom teeth, but I was also watching Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott chalk up four touchdowns and Notre Dame’s defense crumble in the Fiesta Bowl.

The spotlight will be hot on this year’s ND-tOSU matchup. Will new Irish leadership be enough to break the Buckeyes’ momentum?

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