What Questions Does Ohio State Need to Answer Against Notre Dame?
The No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes hit the road for the first time in three weeks to take on the No. 9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday.
The top-ten-ranked Irish are a higher-caliber opponent than any of the three the Buckeyes have faced thus far.
Ohio State played a really good game full of several notable performances over the weekend against Western Kentucky. However, there are still a handful of questions that Saturday's battle with the Irish will answer.
Will Ohio State's offensive success travel with them to South Bend?
Ohio State tallied 562 total yards in their game against Western Kentucky, which is a far cry from the 380 yards the Buckeyes put up in their season opener with Indiana. The Scarlet and Gray also posted 63 points: more than both of their previous point-totals combined (58).
The last time Ohio State played on the road this season was their 23-3 victory against the Hoosiers on September 2. The Scarlet and Gray looked unlike their usual selves in that game, which led many fans to question what this year's Buckeyes team was capable of.
Ohio State has had two weeks at home to iron out the kinks from that contest in Bloomington, Indiana, and if last Saturday is any indication, they have. The only thing that remains to be seen is if this all-wheel performance translates in front of a hostile crowd.
Can Ohio State limit big plays against a high-powered offense?
Despite playing teams that are objectively less of a threat than Notre Dame, the Ohio State defense has allowed drives of at least 50 yards in each of their last three games. Indiana had a 51-yard possession towards the end of the third quarter, but the most concerning pair of drives came against Youngstown State and Western Kentucky.
The Penguins turned a 75-yard opening drive into a touchdown, tying the Buckeyes 7-7 with almost eight minutes left in the first quarter. Then, the Hilltoppers went 75 yards the weekend after that, also for a late-first-quarter touchdown.
Notre Dame is capable of much more damage than either Youngstown State or Western Kentucky, something Ohio State will learn the hard way unless they're able to get off on the right foot against the Irish.
How will Kyle McCord handle his first big challenge?
There has been a fair amount of praise for both Kyle McCord's strong performance against Western Kentucky and his consistent improvement through the first three weeks of the season.
McCord has looked noticeably more confident and comfortable behind center, and his passing numbers have climbed as well. The Mount Laurel, New Jersey native went from 239 yards against Indiana to 318 yards against Western Kentucky.
Another strong outing from McCord on Saturday against the Irish will go a long way toward showing Day and the rest of Buckeye Nation that he is the right man to lead the offense this season.
