Distracted comes to mind. Although Notre Dame defeated Central Michigan by 24 points on Saturday afternoon, the Irish left many points off the scoreboard. Notre Dame committed eight penalties, including an offensive holding call that voided a 72-yard touchdown run by Audric Estime. Defensively, the team looked uninterested at times, and a slew of missed tackles proved that. Perhaps the upcoming showdown against Ohio State was what some of the younger lads had their eyes on.
However, Notre Dame’s veteran quarterback, Sam Hartman, did not appear to be phased by what was on the horizon. Instead, he practiced what head coach Marcus Freeman preaches, “One play.