Starting quarterback Kyle McCord had a day against the Hilltoppers. He found wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. for a 75-yard TD pass on their first down from scrimmage and never looked back.
McCord threw for 318 yards with three TD passes and failed to throw an interception for the second consecutive game. McCord was pleased with how the offense performed against Western Kentucky and told reporters after the game,
“Anytime you can get the offense and the defense going like that it’s a huge confidence boost,” McCord said.“I think the biggest thing now is you’re using it but understanding it’s a different team we’re going against next week. They’ve got a lot of really good players, are well-coached. It’s going to be an away game and a tough environment.”
The No. 6 ranked Buckeyes now head to South Bend for a matchup with No. 9 ranked Notre Dame. Buckeyes Head Coach Ryan Day had this to say about Saturday’s performance against Western Kentucky,
“We wanted to build momentum into next week and everything was turned up in a big way so we need to get back to work,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “Notre Dame starts now. Usually, we start on Sunday. We’re starting to prepare tonight.”
Day and the Buckeyes will need to prepare earlier than usual. Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman has thrown 90 TD passes over his collegiate career and is the first QB in Notre Dame history to throw 13 TD passes through the team’s first four games.
Buckeye’s wideout Emeka Egbuka hauled in a pair of TD passes against the Hilltoppers and is looking forward to this week’s showdown in South Bend, telling reporters,
“We love matchup games. That’s why you come to Ohio State, to play Notre Dame in South Bend.”
Notre Dame Beats CMU
The Fighting Irish won their tune-up for Saturday’s big game with a convincing 41-17 home victory over Central Michigan. Hartman threw for 330 yards and three TDs, running back Audric Etsime scampered for 176 yards and a TD, and the defense held CMU to 268 yards of total offense.
Fighting Irish Head Coach Marcus Freeman said this about how his team looked as they prepared for Saturday’s clash with the Buckeyes.
“It’s always great to be able to win and learn, right? And as you look at Saturday, we were able to do that,” Freeman said.“We were able to win, and there’s a lot of teaching plays that we’ll be able to go over with our guys today. As I told them, it’s not victory that you’re chasing, it’s continuously trying to reach our full potential, and that’s what we have to continue to understand is what do we have to do to continue to reach our full potential as a group.”
Ohio State vs. Notre Dame Betting Analysis
Ohio State opened as a -9.5 favorite, but that number has been bet all the way down to -3 points (-110) at BetMGM. My best bet is to play the Over 55 (-110) at DraftKings Ohio.
We have a Saturday contest between two top-10 teams with national title hopes, and this game could decide which group makes the FBS Playoffs and which one doesn’t.
Ohio State has flashy wideouts with a deep offensive backfield. McCord has improved each week, but this offensive group hasn’t faced a defense like they’ll see on Saturday. Notre Dame has played the more difficult schedule and allows 234 yards of offense per contest.
The Buckeyes defense has been good thus far, but they haven’t met any offense like what they will see with Hartman and the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame has scored 40 points or more in their four games, and Hartman leads the nation with 13 TD passes.
I believe the offenses are better than the respective defenses, and we should see this game exceed the 55-point DraftKings total. Both offenses can score points in droves, and each offensive group looked good in their lead-up to this contest.
Neither defense has been tested much, and while these defensive groups will get their stops, the offenses will find a way to score the football and send this one Over the 55-point total (-110) at DraftKings.
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