CJ Stroud left big impression on Marcus Freeman with Week 1 performance

CJ Stroud did not light the world on fire against Notre Dame, but his definition of lighting the world on fire is… different.

Stroud posted a ho-hum 223-yard outing with 2 touchdowns and zero interceptions in the Buckeyes’ 21-10 win over No. 5 Notre Dame. That’s a heck of a way to start the season.

Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman praised Stroud’s ability to extend plays in key moments, citing it as the reason he should be frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy.

“He hit three or four of those (unlikely completions),” Freeman said in his postgram press conference, according to ClutchPoints.com. “He’s going out of bounds and I’m looking at him, and in my mind, I’m saying there’s no way that’s a completion. They ended up being completions. Hats off to him. There’s a reason why he’s a Heisman Trophy candidate. … And they got a really good team.”

Stroud has plenty of work to do to dethrone Alabama’s Bryce Young after a 5-touchdown performance against Utah State. The Buckeyes are back in action next week against Butch Jones and Arkansas State.