Inside Ohio State’s Unstoppable Strategy That Crushed Notre Dame’s Championship Hopes

Then, with the game on the line late, the Irish took a chance. After cutting Ohio State’s 24-point lead down to eight, Notre Dame’s defense had a 3rd-and-11 opportunity to get the ball back with more than 2 minutes to play. Maybe feeling burned by Howard scrambling for a first down earlier in the night, the Irish did not shade Smith with a safety, instead allocating bodies closer to the defensive box. 

It was a calculated bet that Ohio State would either throw to someone else or lob up a deep ball for Smith, the best receiver in the country. It wasn’t an unreasonable idea by coordinator Al Golden. Deep balls are low-percentage plays, and giving up a 50-yard pass wasn’t much worse in that situation than giving up a 12-yard pass. Just a bit earlier, Howard had missed badly on a sideline go ball to Carnell Tate, who was open in the end zone.

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