Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman Explains Only Having 10 Players for OSU's Game-Winning TD

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish made a huge mistake on Ohio State's game-winning touchdown on Saturday night in South Bend.

Notre Dame only had 10 defensive players on the field when Buckeyes running back DeaMonte "Chip" Trayanum crashed into the end zone to help Ohio State secure a 17-14 victory.

After the game, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman told reporters that he was trying to substitute in a defensive lineman before the play but didn't want to risk a penalty.

"Didn't want to give them a freebie," Freeman said. "That's why I made the decision not to call timeout."

Had the Fighting Irish taken the penalty, the ball would've only been moved up inches. Wouldn't it have been better for Notre Dame to take the penalty and get their entire defense on the field instead of giving up the game-winner?

Even if Ohio State had scored after the penalty, at least Notre Dame would have gone down fighting with their entire defense on the field. And who knows, given how close Trayanum was to being outside the end zone, it's possible the Fighting Irish defense would've held on.

This is surely an ending Freeman will have nightmares about after Notre Dame seemingly gave it away.

Neither team's offense was particularly impressive on Saturday night as Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord was held without a touchdown pass and Notre Dame signal-caller Sam Hartman was limited to 175 yards and one score.

The game ended up being more of a defensive battle, and it was one that Notre Dame ultimately lost on a crucial error.

Although they have played sparingly over the years, the Fighting Irish have now lost six straight to the Buckeyes dating back to 1936.

Notre Dame fell to 4-1 on the season while Ohio State improved to 4-0. The Fighting Irish are slated for a matchup against the Duke Blue Devils next weekend, and ESPN's College GameDay will be in Durham for the matchup for the first time ever.