Ohio State coach Ryan Day talks top 10 matchup at Notre Dame

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WNDU) - There’s a top 10 matchup brewing in South Bend this weekend, as the No. 9 Fighting Irish get ready to host No. 6 Ohio State.

Both teams are undefeated coming into the marquee matchup, and a win would be a big boost for both of their College Football Playoff hopes. Ohio State is fresh off a CFP appearance themselves.

Head coach Ryan Day talked about the importance of Saturday’s game earlier this week.

“Top 10 game on the road — these are the kind of games why you come to Ohio State,” Day said. “This is an exciting series because it’s not something that happens often. Ohio State, Notre Dame — two of the bigger teams in the Midwest — getting together for a home and home. Last year’s atmosphere was electric. It will be the same way on Saturday night. Our guys are really fired up for this.”

As you may recall, the Buckeyes got the best of the Irish in last year’s season opener. But this year’s Irish team looks a lot different, especially on offense.

New transfer quarterback Sam Hartman has led Notre Dame to four straight 40-point games with a balanced attack that’s seen nearly a dozen different players cross the goal line.

Day also touched on the challenge of defending this year’s Notre Dame squad.

“You can tell Hartman is a veteran,” he said. “He’s been around. He’s played a lot of football. Accurate, intelligent, efficient. And I think they are doing a really good job with him. They’re running the ball, running the ball out of various personnel groupings. I think Audric Estimé is running really well. Running hard. Once that happens, it opens up things down the field. That goes hand in hand. They’re doing a good job of that. They have a good plan in place. It’s a good challenge for our defense.”

Kickoff for Saturday’s matchup at Notre Dame Stadium is slated for 7:30 p.m. EDT. The game will air right here on WNDU.

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