The ninth meeting between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Ohio State Buckeyes stands alone in its importance, given that the victor will capture the 2024 national championship. The brief history of this series is one that’s fascinated college football fans for years, largely due to the iconic status of the two school’s programs.
Below is a look at those eight previous matchups:
November 2, 1935: Notre Dame 18, Ohio State 13
In Elmer Layden’s second year as Notre Dame’s head coach, both the Irish and Buckeyes were undefeated. Even though this contest was dubbed as an early candidate for “Game of the Century,” Ohio State was a heavy favorite before its home crowd. For three quarters, that assessment seemed accurate with the Buckeyes taking a 13-0 lead. However, three scores in the final period by the Irish gave them the victory. The winning score came with just 32 seconds left on a Bill Shakespeare to Wayne Miller scoring toss.
October 31, 1936: Notre Dame 7, Ohio State 2
The rematch was played in dreary conditions in South Bend, with both scores in the game coming during the second quarter. The Buckeyes, who squandered plenty of chances during the game, saw a drive in the Notre Dame red zone end on an interception by the Irish’s Joe Gleason. However, the subsequent Notre Dame punt was blocked out of the end zone to give Ohio State a 2-0 lead. However, Nevin McCormick’s short scoring run before halftime proved to be the winning score.
September 30, 1995: Ohio State 45, Notre Dame 26
A promising first half melted down after the break, largely due to the running of that year’s Heisman winner, Eddie George and receiving of Terry Glenn, who combined for four touchdowns. After a scoreless first quarter, the Irish held a 17-14 lead at the break, thanks to two of Randy Kinder’s three rushing touchdowns on the day. Following intermission, Notre Dame added a field goal to make it 20 to 14. At that point, the Buckeyes took control with 21 unanswered points.
September 28, 1996: Ohio State 29, Notre Dame 16
In Lou Holtz’s last season as head coach of the Irish, his team again fell to the Buckeyes at Notre Dame. Like the year before, Notre Dame had problems dealing with an Ohio State running back. In this case, it was Pepe Pearson who made life miserable for the Irish by rushing for 173 yards and two scores and also catching four passes for 42 yards. Notre Dame’s offense was stagnant, gaining just 280 yards on the day, with fullback Marc Edwards scoring both Irish touchdowns.
January 2, 2006: Ohio State 34, Notre Dame 20
To conclude Charlie Weis’ first year as head coach, the Irish renewed acquaintances with the Buckeyes in the Fiesta Bowl. Unfortunately, the end result was the same, though Notre Dame running back Darius Walker’s three touchdowns was a highlight. His first score in the opening quarter gave the Irish the early advantage but Ohio State tallied 21 unanswered points before halftime and then put the game away on a 60-yard scoring run in the final two minutes by Antonio Pittman.
January 1, 2016: Ohio State 44, Notre Dame 28
One decade later, the two schools met again in the same bowl matchup, with the same result. Notre Dame was unable to stop Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott, who rushed for 149 yards and four touchdowns. The Irish suffered a key loss during the game when linebacker Jaylon Smith was carted off with a knee injury. Will Fuller’s 80-yard touchdown reception with 11:27 left got Notre Dame within 10 points at 38-28, but no further Irish scoring came on the afternoon.
September 3, 2022: Ohio State 21, Notre Dame 10
In Marcus Freeman’s first regular season game as Irish head coach, his team faced his alma mater and started off with a field goal on its opening drive. While the Buckeyes answered with a touchdown later in the first quarter, Notre Dame took a 10-7 advantage into halftime. Once the two teams returned, the Irish defense was unable to continue containing the high-powered Ohio State and suffered defeat. Notre Dame’s Tyler Buchner threw for 177 yards, 54 of them to Lorenzo Styles on the game’s first play.
September 23, 2023: Ohio State 17, Notre Dame 14
In true heartbreak fashion, the Buckeyes scored the winning touchdown with just one second left in the game to capture the instant classic. During the first half, the two teams had managed just one second-quarter field goal by Ohio State, which then added a touchdown in the third period to take a 10-0 lead. The Irish scored one touchdown before the third quarter ended, then took the lead on a 96-yard scoring drive. Notre Dame had its foes on the ropes multiple times during the game-winning drive, once on fourth down and another on a third-and-19 call. However, the Buckeyes scored on the final play of the game while the Irish infamously only had 10 men on the field because of a mixup in substitutions.
