On Saturday, Notre Dame featured a run-heavy offense that netted 10 points against the Buckeye’s 21.

Asked after the game, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman explained that it was the plan all along to feature the run and control the clock.

“That was our plan going into the game,” Freeman said. “We were going to control the clock, limit their offensive possessions and run the football. That was our mindset for this game.”

Chris Tyree led the team in rushing yards with only 28, while the Irish as a whole ran 30 times for only 76 yards and one touchdown. The plan fell apart after Ohio State scored a pair of second-half touchdowns and Notre Dame couldn’t get its passing game going.

“It was a 10-7 game until seconds left in the third quarter,” Freeman added. “We knew we weren’t going to try to out-score them [in a high-possession game]. We were going to have a plan to try to control the ball, run the ball, keep the clock running … And we executed until all of the sudden we had to get to the passing game and we go 3-and-out. We just didn’t finish the way we wanted to.”

It’s possible Notre Dame will consider other offensive approaches in other games this season.

The Irish host Marshall in Week 2.