Chelsea sack Thomas Tuchel as manager after poor start to season - ESPN

5:13 AM ET

Chelsea's new owners have sacked head coach Thomas Tuchel just three months after completing their takeover of the club.

Tuchel's 100th and final game in charge of Chelsea was Tuesday's 1-0 Champions League defeat at Dinamo Zagreb and sources have told ESPN that the 49-year-old was informed of the decision on Wednesday morning.

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A consortium led by LA Lakers part-owner Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital acquired the club from Roman Abramovich at the end of May and oversaw a record-spend in a single window for Chelsea of more than £250 million on nine players.

However, sources have told ESPN that relations between Boehly and Tuchel became strained over the club's transfer strategy, while further concerns over the team's substandard start to the season prompted the ownership to act.

Members of the club's backroom staff will take interim charge, possibly also for Saturday's Premier League trip to Fulham, as the search begins for Tuchel's replacement.

Thomas Tuchel has left Chelsea after winning the Champions League in 2021. Getty Images

A club statement read: "On behalf of everyone at Chelsea FC, the club would like to place on record its gratitude to Thomas and his staff for all their efforts during their time with the club. Thomas will rightly have a place in Chelsea's history after winning the Champions League, the Super Cup and Club World Cup in his time here.

"As the new ownership group reaches 100 days since taking over the club, and as it continues its hard work to take the club forward, the new owners believe it is the right time to make this transition.

"Chelsea's coaching staff will take charge of the team for training and the preparation of our upcoming matches as the club moves swiftly to appoint a new head coach.

"There will be no further comment until a new head coach appointment is made."

Tuchel was appointed as Frank Lampard's successor in January 2021 and guided Chelsea to their second Champions League crown in May that year.

In February, he led Chelsea to the only trophy previously to elude Abramovich during his 19-year tenure, the Club World Cup, with victory over Palmeiras in Abu Dhabi.

However, Tuchel then came under intense pressure as the public face of the club as Abramovich was effectively forced into selling Chelsea after the U.K. government imposed sanctions relating to his alleged ties to Russia president Vladimir Putin.

Tuchel steered the club through a difficult period on the pitch as the Boehly/Clearlake consortium negotiated their purchase of the club.

However, disagreements emerged over the club's transfer strategy and sources have suggested Boehly became concerned that Tuchel's messages were not getting through to the players, many of whom had become frustrated at his approach.

Tuesday's defeat in Zagreb was their third consecutive away loss, the first time that had happened under Tuchel, while the club lie sixth in the Premier League having won three of their opening six matches.

Speaking after losing in Zagreb, Tuchel said: "Of course I'm frustrated; there's too much to analyse, I'm a part of it, and we are clearly not where we need to be. At the moment everything is missing."

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Seattle Storm’s Sue Bird Ends WNBA Career With Playoff Loss - The New York Times

Bird, 41, the Seattle Storm guard, had said she would retire after this season. The Storm fell to the Las Vegas Aces in the W.N.B.A. semifinals on Tuesday.

Seattle Storm fans wanted one more year. Sue Bird gave it to them.

She slicked back her signature ponytail, laced up her custom Nike sneakers and added to her legend with a farewell tour.

When the Storm set a W.N.B.A. single-game assists record for the regular season with 37, eight of them were hers. She stretched her formidable margin as the league’s career leader in assists and inched higher on the steals and 3-point lists. She helped the Storm make the playoffs for the 16th time in the 19 seasons she played.

And then she was done.

The Las Vegas Aces beat the Storm, 97-92, in Game 4 of their semifinal series on Tuesday to advance to the W.N.B.A. finals. For Bird, 41, who had said in June that she would retire after the season, the loss on her home court marked the end of an incredible career. As fans cheered and chanted “Thank you, Sue,” Bird stood on the court and cried.

At a postgame news conference, Bird said that she hadn’t wanted to leave the court so that she could “soak it all in.” She started to cry again. “I know the tears don’t look like happy tears, but there’s a lot of happiness,” she said.

Lindsey Wasson/Associated Press

Aces Coach Becky Hammon said it was “bittersweet” to have defeated Bird to end her “fairy-tale” career. Bird had 8 points and 8 assists in the loss.

“I kind of feel like the girl that beat Serena,” Hammon said, referring to Ajla Tomljanovic, who beat Serena Williams in her final match at the U.S. Open last week. Williams had said she planned to retire after the tournament.

Storm Coach Noelle Quinn, who also played with Bird in Seattle, called Bird “the best point guard to ever play this game.”

Bird won four championships with Seattle, the last in 2020. That season showcased the traits that have come to define her: resilience and keen court vision. She missed half of the regular season with injuries. But she proved invaluable during Seattle’s six postseason games. Seattle never lost during that playoff run. Bird set a then-W.N.B.A. record for assists in a playoff game with 16 in Game 1 of the finals against the Aces. Then she had a double-double — 16 points and 10 assists — in Game 2. In the series-clinching Game 3, Bird spent the end of the fourth quarter on the bench laughing with forward Breanna Stewart. The Storm won by 33.

“The fact that I’m sitting here, I think I’m having this, like, in-shock moment, because it doesn’t really feel real that we just won and that I was able to contribute in the way that I did,” she said afterward.

Much of Bird’s 21-year career has come as a surprise, if only because there wasn’t enough time for someone to accomplish such feats before her. “I really didn’t know what to dream,” Bird told The New York Times last month, “and so to sit here now with all the championships I have, I just feel really satisfied.”

The Storm drafted her No. 1 overall in 2002 out of UConn before the W.N.B.A.’s sixth season. She immediately became Seattle’s franchise leader in assists, with 191 that year. She came in second for the Rookie of the Year Award, but she and the player who beat her — Indiana’s Tamika Catchings — became the first rookies ever named to the All-W.N.B.A. first team.

Steph Chambers/Getty Images

David Berding/Getty Images

Over the next 20 years, Bird would pile up honors, including a record 13 W.N.B.A. All-Star selections and five Olympic gold medals with the United States. Last year, she was voted to the W25, the W.N.B.A.’s list of the top 25 players ever as the league celebrated its 25th anniversary.

“These athletes have played the game at the highest level on the court — they are scorers and rebounders, assist makers and defensive stoppers, leaders and mentors,” W.N.B.A. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in announcing the W25. She added, “Together, they have transformed the way the game is played, changed the way athletes are viewed, become incredible role models and inspired generations of young, diverse athletes.”

Bird, who is engaged to the women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe, is one of the most visible gay professional athletes. For most of the W.N.B.A.’s history, its most prominent stars were not openly gay, and players have said that they felt pressured to conform to heterosexual standards of femininity. But Bird is among a wave of stars — including Brittney Griner, Seimone Augustus, Elena Delle Donne and Diana Taurasi — who have been open about their sexuality and spoken about L.G.B.T.Q. rights and acceptance.

Bird has also used her platform as one of the league’s biggest stars to support social justice causes, especially regarding Black women. And as the W.N.B.A. continues to push for the release of Griner, who has been detained in Russia on drug charges since February, Bird has been vocal.

“We all feel rattled by this and just want her home,” Bird said at a news conference with Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, in July.

Steph Chambers/Getty Images

Bird’s off-the-court influence has gone beyond politics to style. She is known for her love of sneakers, and her custom Nikes — from the signature line of the N.B.A. star Kyrie Irving — have “Keep Sue Fresh” printed on them each night.

But the core of Bird’s legacy is on the court.

“That’s a legendary player right there,” said Aces guard Chelsea Gray, who scored 31 points and fueled Las Vegas’s victory in Bird’s final game.

Stewart, who had 42 points in Game 4 for Seattle, said that knowing it would be her last game with Bird was more “devastating” than losing.

“That’s what hurts the most,” she said, adding that Bird had been a mentor and friend.

Storm guard Jewell Loyd said the Game 4 loss was “obviously not how we wanted to finish for her.”

Loyd added, “We’ve been very fortunate to play with a generational player like Sue.”

Bird said though her body felt good, she was not having second thoughts about retiring. But she will miss basketball.

“There’s going to be nothing like this,” she said.

Bird gave fans someone to believe in until the end. Her final points in the W.N.B.A. came on a layup with 21.8 seconds to go on Tuesday and Seattle down by 6. It was reminiscent of a play on Sunday, in Game 3. The Storm turned to her when they were down by 1 point with less than two seconds to go. She sank a 3-pointer and held her follow-through, as her teammates went wild around her. Seattle would lose to the Aces in overtime, but that play was what this final season was for.

One more chance to celebrate. One last moment with Bird.

Lindsey Wasson/Associated Press

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PFT’s Week One 2022 NFL power rankings - NBC Sports

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1. Rams: Good news, the defending champs always start on top. Bad news, there’s only one direction to go.

2. Buccaneers: It feels like Tom Brady‘s last ride. And it has always felt as if he’s destined to walk away with a trophy under his arm.

3. Bills: They’re carrying the target of a Super Bowl winner without getting to the game in nearly 30 years.

4. Chiefs: How are they not more widely regarded to be ready to get right back to where they’ve been for four straight years?

5. Packers: With a depleted receiver room, the Cheeseheads soon may pivot to ayahuasca.

6. Bengals: Will 80-percent turnover make the offensive line better? It can’t really be much worse than it was in the postseason.

7. 49ers: If they can get adequate performance from the quarterback position and avoid a rash of key injuries, they could make it back to the Super Bowl.

8. Titans: Is this Ryan Tannehill‘s last chance to take the Titans to the next level?

9. Eagles: Five years after winning a Super Bowl, they’re ready to contend again.

10. Cowboys: Can they win in the playoffs this year? First, they have to get back there.

11. Colts: At a time when everyone is wondering whether Russell Wilson will join the Tom Brady/Matthew Stafford parade from new team to NFL title, Matt Ryan may be in a better position to actually pull that off.

12. Ravens: In a tightly-packed AFC, they’re as capable as anyone to get to the postseason and win more than one game there.

13. Cardinals: They’ll be fine in September and October. The pressure will be on in November and December, especially with the Hard Knocks in-season cameras and microphones there.

14. Raiders: The offense should be fine. Can the defense slow down the other three offenses in the division?

15. Chargers: Is it already playoffs or bust for second-year coach Brandon Staley?

16. Steelers: Write them off at your own peril.

17. Patriots: How many years of post-Tom Brady struggles before Brady gets more credit than Bill Belichick for the Super Bowls?

18. Dolphins: If Tua can get it done, the Dolphins can get to the round of eight, and maybe even to the AFC Championship.

19. Broncos: The bar is higher than it should be for a team that has undergone many changes over the past two years. Especially since they have to compete with the Chiefs, Raiders, and Chargers.

20. Saints: The departure of Sean Payton is being met with a surprising degree of nonchalance. It’s a huge void, and it’s still not clear whether anyone still on the coaching staff will be able to fill it.

21. Browns: If they eventually win a Super Bowl with Deshaun Watson, the bizarre journey of 2022 presumably will have been worth it. For anything less than that, it won’t be.

22. Vikings: Ding dong the Zim is dead. That alone could be enough to get the Vikings to the playoffs.

23. Panthers: They’ve got the talent to contend. Which will only make the seat even hotter for the coaching staff.

24. Washington: This is Carson Wentz‘s last chance to be an NFL starter. Will that be enough to get him to stop being reckless with the ball?

25. Seahawks: The presence of Pete Carroll forces us to take them more seriously. Even then, it feels like they’ll have a hard time — especially in a tough division.

26. Falcons: Matt Ryan was the cornerstone of the franchise since 2008. How will they not take a step back without him?

27. Giants: It’s going to take more than a year to fumigate the roster.

28. Lions: Can they climb the ladder? Absolutely. Will they? We’ll see.

29. Jaguars: If they were in the NFC, they’d be a fringe playoff contender. In the AFC, there are just too many good teams.

30. Bears: They’re tearing it down to build it up. It may take a while to build it up.

31. Jets: Hopefully, ownership will give the current regime enough time to get the most out of their current roster.

32. Texans: Bad news, they’ve earned this spot. Good news, there’s only one direction to go.

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Clemson vs. Georgia Tech score, takeaways: Tigers offense overcomes slow start to win big in Atlanta - CBS Sports

ATLANTA -- Overcoming a sloppy and slow start that has been all too familiar, No. 4 Clemson topped Georgia Tech 41-10 on Monday night as the Tigers look to return to the top of the ACC after falling short of expectations in 2021. Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, who was the subject of offseason scrutiny after a lackluster sophomore campaign, was 19 of 32 passing for 209 yards and a touchdown. The junior also added a massive 9-yard touchdown run with 1:43 to play in the third quarter to push the lead to 24-10, effectively putting the game out of reach for the Yellow Jackets. 

A scoreless game after one quarter with both sets of offenses struggling out of the gate, the first spark of the night came from Clemson's Carson Donnelly, who blocked a Georgia Tech punt and returned it to the 5-yard line. That set up a four-play touchdown drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by Will Shipley to finally put the Tigers on the scoreboard. 

Uiagalelei cranked things up on the next drive when he led the Tigers on an eight-play march and tossed his lone touchdown pass of the night -- a 6-yard pass to Beaux Collins in the back of the end zone to make it 14-0. 

Georgia Tech had its chances, though. Quarterback Jeff Sims found E.J. Jenkins for a 13-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter to cut the score to 14-10. However, the Tigers' suffocating defensive front prevented the Yellow Jackets from sustaining drives for the majority of the night. Sims finished 23 of 36 passing for 164 yards, one touchdown, one interception and 41 yards rushing.

Here are the top takeaways from Monday night's game. 

Clemson has a QB battle

OK, so it won't be "official" until the end of September after Furman and Louisiana Tech come to town, but anyone watching could see it. Despite decent stats on paper, Uiagalelei remains cumbersome in an offense that used to be a force under past quarterbacks like Trevor Lawrence, Deshaun Watson and Tajh Boyd.

Uiagalelei, who had a fumble early in the first quarter, was essentially relegated to a "one read and bail" quarterback for the majority of the night. Though he had pressure in his face quite a bit, which did force him off of his mark, he didn't look much different than he did last year when he completed 55.6% of his passes and threw more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (9). 

The Clemson crowd was yearning for freshman Cade Klubnik, and they got their wish on their team's final drive. Klubnik, a five-star prospect and the No. 6 overall player in the most recent recruiting class, was 4 of 6 passing for 50 yards and a touchdown -- a beautiful 3-yard touchdown pass to Will Taylor to cap off a 10-play, 66-yard drive. 

Yes, the game was in the books at that point. Still, when you combine the first three-plus quarters from Uiagalelei with his lack of production last season, a full-time switch — or at least a prolonged experiment — has to at least be considered.

Clemson's defensive front is the real deal

The Tigers were widely regarded as having one of the most talented defenses in the country, specifically up front with Bryan Bresee, Tyler Davis, Myles Murphy and K.J. Henry along the line. They lived up to that hype on Monday. 

Those four lived in the Yellow Jackets backfield, forcing seven tackles for loss and allowing just 4.5 yards per play. On the night, the Tigers defense gave up just two third-down conversations on 16 attempts.

Henry was the star of the show with six tackles, 2.5 of which were for a loss, one sack and one forced fumble. The senior was a force from the outset when he hit Sims on the first play of the game, which resulted in an interception by Andrew Mukuba.

Tonight was Henry's night, and opposing offensive coordinators will have to focus more attention on him moving forward. That will just open up even more room for the rest of his teammates up front to do damage.

The offensive line needs work, however

Clemson's defensive line was a force, but the same can't be said for the other side of the line of scrimmage. The Tigers only gave up one sack, but the stats don't always tell the whole story. Uiagalelei was running for his life and the Yellow Jackets, oftentimes only bringing four, were disrupting the running game behind the line all night. 

The offensive line was a concern coming into the season, and coach Dabo Swinney has to feel even worse about it exiting tonight's game. The Tigers have tough conference matchups with Florida State and Miami — two defenses that looked stout in Week 1 — and a trip to Notre Dame still on the docket. Those could be tough games for Clemson in the trenches. 

If that problem doesn't get fixed, it's hard to picture this team as a real threat to make the College Football Playoff.

Geoff Collins must prove he deserves to stay

Collins is now 9-26 as the head coach of the Yellow Jackets, and tonight's game against Clemson was a perfect example of why he has been a disappointment. Simply put, some of decisions were flat-out awful.

In one of his more egregious choices, Collins chose to take a 10-second runoff to put the clock at 33 seconds at the end of the first half when Clemson had already lined up to punt despite having all three of his timeouts in his back pocket. Then, he burned all three of his second-half timeouts before the 11-minute mark of the fourth quarter. 

What's more, Collins took the ball out of Sims' hands on a fourth-and-2 while down 14 points at Georgia Tech's 42-yard line early in the fourth quarter, even though Sims was the team's leading rusher at the time. Clemson was clearly the better team on Monday, but even a few better situational calls may have made things more interesting. Those types of decisions could be more costly in tighter games this year. 

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Andy Ruiz Jr. vs. Luis Ortiz fight results, highlights: Ruiz drops Ortiz three times en route to decision win - CBS Sports

Every fight is dangerous in the heavyweight division and just a handful of punches can change an outcome. That's exactly how the fight between Andy Ruiz Jr. and Luis Ortiz played out on Saturday night, with Ortiz technically winning more rounds on the three official scorecards but Ruiz taking a unanimous decision victory thanks to three knockdowns in the fight.

The action was frequently slow and often dominated by Ortiz's jab, but every moment of note belonged to Ruiz. The most exciting round of the fight was the second, with Ruiz dropping Ortiz with a big right hand to the side of the head and scoring a second knockdown moments later as Ortiz had yet to recover his equilibrium.

Ruiz would take his foot off the gas after the explosive second frame and Ortiz would continually grab control of the pace of the fight with little more than a sharp and disciplined jab. This resulted in the fight frequently becoming a tepid affair and drawing boos from the crowd.

Despite the lack of action and Ruiz spending much of the fight absorbing jabs from his southpaw opponent, the first southpaw Ruiz had faced as a professional, another Ruiz bomb dropped Ortiz in the seventh round, leaving a win on the scorecards little more than a prayer for Ortiz.

After the completion of 12 rounds, the official scorecards read 113-112 and 114-111 twice for Ruiz. The knockdowns were the deciding factor, as two of the three judges gave both men six rounds and one saw it seven to five in favor of Ortiz.

Despite the loss, Ortiz showed an ability to still contend at 43 years old and said he was not yet ready to hang up the gloves.

"I told you I was going to be a warrior," Ortiz said after the fight. "I love this. This is Cuba vs. Mexico. It was a war. ... If they said 'King Kong' is old. I gave you a war today. I think I gave a good fight tonight."

Ortiz has now been knocked down five times in 2022, having been dropped twice in a January bout with Charles Martin, a fight Ortiz was able to win by scoring a knockout in the sixth round. The loss to Ruiz was just the third defeat in Ortiz's career, the previous two coming in bids for the WBC world title against Deontay Wilder.

As for Ruiz, the former three-belt heavyweight champion of the world, he said his plan is to be more active, no longer looking to fight just once each year as he tries to get back to a world title fight after shocking the world by defeating Anthony Joshua to win the IBF, WBO and WBA titles before losing them in the rematch.

"Staying active, man. I don't want to be waiting so long before I fight," Ruiz said. "I want to be fighting three or four times a year. I'm ready. I want to bring the belt back to Mexico."

Ruiz, who has now won two consecutive bouts since losing the rematch with Joshua, suggested a fight with former champ Wilder could be next, assuming Wilder defeats Robert Helenius in October. Wilder, who was in the crowd for the fight, entered the ring after the call-out and seemed open to the idea.

"If that's what lines up next," Wilder said. "I gotta handle business first but let's get it on."

CBS Sports was with you throughout the event in Los Angeles. 

Ruiz vs. Ortiz fight card, results

• Andy Ruiz def. Luis Ortiz via unanimous decision (113-112, 114-111, 114-111)
  
• Isaac Cruz def. Eduardo Ramirez via second-round knockout
• Abner Mares vs. Miguel Flores ends in a majority draw (96-94, 95-95, 95-95)
• Edwin de los Santos def. Jose Valenzuela via third-round TKO

Ruiz vs. Ortiz scorecard

Ruiz	10	10	10	9	9	9	10	9	10	9	10	9	114
Ortiz	9	7	9	10	10	10	8	10	9	10	9	10	111

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Nick Kyrgios Upsets No. 1 Daniil Medvedev at the U.S. Open - The New York Times

Medvedev grew frustrated in a four-set loss that ensured neither singles draws will have a repeat winner this year. Kyrgios will play another Russian, No. 27 Karen Khachanov, in the quarterfinals.

Nick Kyrgios’s finest season continues to get finer, and on Sunday he defeated No. 1 Daniil Medvedev, the defending U.S. Open men’s singles champion, 7-6 (11), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, with a deeply convincing display of power and finesse to reach his first quarterfinal in New York.

Sunday’s fourth-round match was played at breakneck pace and peaked in terms of mutual quality of play in its torrid opening set. Both men appealed to the sellout crowd in Arthur Ashe Stadium for support and both saved three set points before Kyrgios secured it after 63 minutes.

But though Medvedev, who will lose his No. 1 ranking after the U.S. Open, rebounded to win the second set, Kyrgios quickly took command, breaking serve in the fourth game of the third set after Medvedev jumped out to a 40-0 lead. Kyrgios, a combustible Australian who threw his racket several times in frustration on Sunday, controlled the big points and his own service games from there and finished off the victory with his 21st ace.

“I’m just glad I’m finally able to show New York my talent,” Kyrgios said in his on-court interview.

In terms of seedings it was an upset. Medvedev is No. 1. Kyrgios is No. 23. But it did not feel like an upset. Kyrgios now leads their head-to-head series 4-1 and has been playing the most consistent quality tennis of his career in recent months at age 27.

He reached his first Grand Slam singles final at Wimbledon in July, losing a close match to Novak Djokovic, and backed that up by winning the Citi Open in Washington, D.C. last month and by beating Medvedev in the second round of the National Bank Open in Montreal.

Corey Sipkin/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

But for Kyrgios, despite his serve and fast-court skills, the U.S. Open has long been a stumbling block. In eight previous appearances, he had not been past the third round. This year, he is into the quarterfinals with a fine chance to go further. His next opponent will be Karen Khachanov, the No. 27 seed from Russia. The other quarterfinal in the top half of the men’s draw will match No. 13 Matteo Berrettini of Italy against No. 5 Casper Ruud of Norway.

None of the four has won a major singles title, and if Kyrgios can maintain the level he displayed on Sunday, he is certainly a threat to any man still in contention at the U.S. Open.

“I want to go all the way, and hopefully it’s possible,” Kyrgios said.

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Notre Dame defense keeps Ohio State offense in check, but still not enough for the Irish - NBC Sports

COLUMBUS, Ohio — If Hollywood wrote the start of the Marcus Freeman Era at Notre Dame, it would have deemed this script too misleading, too unfulfilling, too wrenching for a typical sports film. The No. 5 Irish led Freeman’s alma mater for much of Saturday night, but the dynamic Ohio State offense finally broke through late in the third quarter to quell the upset bid, 21-10.

Until then, Notre Dame (0-1) had followed the exact script Freeman wrote earlier in the week, though his obviously had a different ending than a second loss in two games as Notre Dame’s head coach.

“There’s no such thing as a moral victory,” he said. “We didn’t execute. … We have to be able to finish when it matters most. That’s ultimately what cost us.”

The 36-year-old, first-time head coach said during the week he wanted the Irish to get off to a fast start. A 54-yard completion on the first snap of the game fit that tone. The father of six said he wanted Notre Dame to slow the game down to minimize the impact of the Buckeyes’ offense. Giving No. 2 Ohio State (1-0) only five possessions in the first half and 10 in the game deserved an award for controlling — directing — the game.

“We knew we weren’t going to try and outscore them,” Freeman said. “We were going to have a plan to try and control the ball, run the ball, keep the clock running and limit their offensive possessions.”

Sophomore quarterback Tyler Buchner‘s opening play completion to sophomore Lorenzo Styles was the only successful play on Notre Dame’s first drive, but the Irish still cracked the scoreboard first with a 33-yard field goal from Arkansas State transfer Blake Grupe. Buchner’s first career start opened with eight consecutive completions for 128 yards, including an acrobatic, tip-tip-tip-catch from former walk-on Matt Salerno, but then Buchner fell off abruptly, finishing 2-of-10 for 49 yards.

WHAT A CATCH! @Matthews0520#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/zaaPvUDhnu

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) September 4, 2022

That Salerno-sparked drive ended with a one-yard touchdown dive from sophomore running back Audric Estime, having lined up as a fullback in a traditional I-formation. That gave Notre Dame a 10-7 lead it would hold deep into the third quarter before the heralded Buckeyes’ offense finally found its footing.

Playing without star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba for most of the game after an apparent leg injury on Ohio State’s second drive, Heisman finalist quarterback C.J. Stroud struggled to connect with his remaining targets downfield until he hit Xavier Johnson for a 24-yard touchdown on a 3rd-and-11 in the third quarter’s final minute. Stroud finished with 223 yards and two touchdowns on 24-of-34 passing, quite a stat line for what would normally be considered a dismal performance for him, relatively speaking.

“Hats off to him,” Freeman said. “There’s a reason why he’s a Heisman Trophy candidate. He’s a really good football player, and they have a really good team.”

The Irish offensive plan was built around not having to chase down multiple Stroud scores. When the Buckeyes scored just before the fourth quarter, Notre Dame needed to respond so as not to fall behind by multiple tallies. Buchner opened the drive by finding fifth-year receiver Braden Lenzy for 32 yards, but the Irish went backward from there.

“Can’t give the ball back to their offense,” Buchner said.

That may as well have been the game.

Give #NotreDame credit. A lot of credit.
But at some point, talent wins, and Ohio State is that much more talented.
Buckeyes are gonna hold on tonight. But Irish might be someone to reckon with this season, after all.

— Douglas Farmer (@D_Farmer) September 4, 2022

“We executed until we had to get into the passing game and [went] three-and-out,” Freeman said. “We just didn’t finish the way we wanted to.”

Stroud & Co. then piled on, adding a long touchdown drive to not only balloon the lead but also to eat up most of the fourth quarter. That seven-minute possession spoiled Freeman’s script, but unlike a similar second-half frustration on New Year’s Day, Notre Dame does not need to wait nine months to write a better ending.

“We have a lot to learn from this game,” Freeman said. “The beauty of this thing is we don’t have to wait 245 days. We have seven days for another opportunity, so we have to get back to work.”

Inside the Irish

STAT OF THE GAME
Notre Dame led for literally most of the game, ahead on the scoreboard for 32:40 compared to 23:53 for Ohio State. None of that matters, of course, but it underscores both the purpose of Freeman’s game plan — shortening the game with long drives inflated the Irish time ahead — and the literal nature of the collapse, the Buckeyes ahead for the final 15:17, by then essentially deploying the same plan as Notre Dame, something no one could have expected before kickoff.

“We have to stop the run,” Freeman said. “Late in the game, we knew they were running the ball and we couldn’t stop it. That’s someplace we have to improve at.”

QUOTES OF THE NIGHT
Notre Dame made Buchner and senior linebacker Jack Kiser available to the media after the game. Both tried to shoulder the blame for the other side of the ball’s shortcomings. Ohio State scored 14 points in the second half? Buchner’s above comment of “Can’t give the ball back to their offense.”

The Irish not scoring at all in the second half? Kiser pointed to the Buckeyes having possession for 19:34 in the second half.

“We have to do a better job of getting the ball back to our offense and giving them a chance,” he said. “We’re going to own that.

“That’s something we have to work on and make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter
12:13 — Notre Dame field goal. Blake Grupe 33 yards. Notre Dame 3, Ohio State 0. (5 plays, 71 yards, 2:42)
5:32 — Ohio State touchdown. Emeka Egbuka 31-yard pass from C.J. Stroud. Noah Ruggles PAT good. Ohio State 7, Notre Dame 3. (4 plays, 54 yards, 1:34)

Second Quarter
11:56 — Notre Dame touchdown. Audric Estime 1-yard rush. Grupe PAT good. Notre Dame 10, Ohio State 7. (10 plays, 87 yards, 5:10)

Third Quarter
0:17 — Ohio State touchdown. Xavier Johnson 24-yard pass from Stroud. Ruggles PAT good. Ohio State 14, Notre Dame 10. (10 plays, 70 yards, 4:33)

Fourth Quarter
4:51 — Ohio State touchdown. Miyan Williams 2-yard rush. Ruggles PAT good. Ohio State 21, Notre Dame 10. (14 plays, 95 yards, 7:06)

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