Bottom line: How did the Buckeyes grade vs. Notre Dame? How did OSU's offense grade?

Ohio State's 17-14 win over Notre Dame was a thriller that could have gone either way. It also didn't materialize the way anybody predicted.

Instead of a game featuring Ohio State's high-flying offense and Sam Hartman's ability to take the Irish offense deep, the night somehow turned into a hard-hitting defensive battle.

In the end, it was two bruising, evenly matched teams duking it out to the end.

More Ohio State vs Notre Dame: Ohio State scores with 1 second left to top Notre Dame 17-14

How did the Buckeyes grade in their win over Notre Dame? Leaves are awarded on a zero-to-five basis.

Ohio State offense (2 leaves)

Aside from TreVeyon Henderson's 61-yard touchdown run, the Buckeyes were unable to establish a ground game. They were stopped twice on fourth-and-1. The passing game, with quarterback Kyle McCord under pressure all night, also labored against a good defense. Star receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. was held to three catches for 32 yards.

Ohio State defense (4 leaves)

Notre Dame won the time-of-possession battle, but a tired and plucky Buckeyes defense held the Irish to 14 points. Pass rush still seems to be an issue, but the overall play of the defensive line is solid.

Ohio State special teams (4 leaves)

Punter Jesse Mirco continues to be a weapon. He dropped two punts inside the 10, and one inside the 5. Xavier Johnson had one nifty kickoff return for 32 yards. One overlooked near special teams gaffe: When Ohio State took a 16-14 lead with 1 second remaining, the Buckeyes elected to kick a PAT. If the kick was blocked and returned to the end zone by Notre Dame, the game would have been tied.

Ohio State coaching (3 leaves)

Seeing that his defensive ends were unable to pressure Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman, Jim Knowles dialed up some nice blitzes in the second quarter. But mostly the Buckeyes left the rushing up to the line and Hartman had a lot of time to pass, but the Buckeyes kept everything in front of them. Thus, OSU deserves praise for holding what was said to be an explosive offense to 14 points. On offense, Ryan Day had pledged to "let it rip" but instead struggled to get first downs even on short yardage. The Buckeyes were unable to figure out ways to get receivers running free the way they usually do.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3 leaves)

Notre Dame played a physical game and found a way to slow what is usually a high-flying Ohio State pass offense. Great defensive schemes. But having only 10 players on the field for the game's final two plays is inexcusable.

Fun factor (5 leaves)

Down to the wire before a loud crowd and a national TV audience. Can't ask for more.

Officiating (1 leaf)

Surely, this crew has had better days. Their good calls were actually overturns of their partners' flags. In the first quarter, one official overturned another's call on Ohio State's Davison Igbinosun for a late hit out of bounds. Another came when Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman was awarded a first down on a fourth-down scramble, only to have the review booth overturn it. In the second quarter, Emeka Egbuka was awarded a touchdown catch when it was an obvious drop.

In the second quarter, a side judge called Notre Dame for holding, then after review it somehow got changed to pass interference, which isn't allowed. Further, replay ruled that Harrison did not make the catch even though it appeared − and NBC's ref-in-the-booth Terry McAuley agreed − it should have been a catch.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football grades after OSU win over Notre Dame