Ohio State took care of business on Saturday, taking down No. 5 ranked Notre Dame. But, it wasn’t the epic blowout some were expecting, as the Buckeyes won 21-10.

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum said he was “impressed” with the Irish and gave them credit for playing the Buckeyes close.

“I think the team that really impressed me the most was Notre Dame,” Finebaum said on SportsCenter. “I didn’t expect that. I really expected a blowout. I didn’t think this would be close because I believed what everyone told me, that Ohio State was so great.”

The Fighting Irish held Ohio State to just 21 points and 176 rushing yards on Saturday. Notre Dame had planned for a run-heavy offense, which helped limit the Buckeyes’ offensive possessions. Ohio State scored only 7 points until the closing moments of the third quarter.

Finebaum acknowledged Freeman’s impressive game plan.

“Notre Dame came in with a really great game plan from Marcus Freeman. He really exceeded expectations in his debut at Notre Dame,” Finebaum added.

Here’s Finebaum’s full comments on Notre Dame and other aspects of Week 1 across the country: