That could have been Ohio State playing Alabama, not Michigan State, and Ohio State may have won and had a chance to repeat as national champions.
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The Irish cut the deficit in half with 7:34 left in the second quarter on Josh Adams’ 3-yard touchdown run.
With the win, the Buckeyes won their fifth-ever Fiesta Bowl, tying ASU for second most all-time behind Penn State’s six.
The last two weeks of the season, Ohio State looked like one of the top four teams in the country.
Player of the Game: Another Buckeyes whose college career came to an end in Glendale was running back Ezekiel Elliott, and he went out in style. NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah, who attended the game, was also impressed with Elliott’s skills in pass protection. Otherwise, Notre Dame struggled, giving up 496 total yards and forcing the Buckeyes to punt just three times.
“It’s going to be a great bowl game”, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said.
Weber posed for a photo with Elliott and the other running backs after the victory Friday and wrote on Twitter, “Learned a lot this year”.
The only problem with relying so frequently on the “next man up” approach in college football is that there isn’t an endless supply of bodies to plug in and keep winning games. They may leave the desert wondering what could have been after blowing past another playoff contender.
Irish quarterback DeShone Kizer passed for 284 yards and two touchdowns, with an interception, and rushed for another score as Notre Dame (10-3) suffered its second straight loss.
Ohio State scored on its first two possessions with drives of 80 and 43 yards for a 14-0 lead less than halfway through the first quarter. Barrett hit 19-of-31 throws for 211 yards with a touchdown and an interception while rushing 23 times for 96 yards; Elliott carried 27 times for 149 yards and four touchdowns and caught a 30-yard reception.
One of the best examples happened late in the first quarter when Kizer slipped away from pressure in the pocket and linebacker Darron Lee left his coverage spot to make an aggressive play on the ball.
One big dream gone, but Notre Dame, like Ohio State, is not taking this game lightly. “You lose a guy like [linebacker Jaylon Smith] early on, [and] it significantly affects what you’re doing defensively”.
Ohio State lost to Michigan State in its penultimate game and had to watch the Spartans join fellow one-loss teams Alabama and Oklahoma in the playoff.
TALENT LOAD: The Fiesta Bowl might be the bowl with the most talented players. “You put yourself in a position to play on a big-time stage and make plays and put yourself in a position to go play at the next level, so I am happy for him but that is my guy for sure”. Smith was on crutches on the sideline at game’s end with what Kelly called “a significant knee injury”.
Ohio State finished No. 7 in the final CFB rankings.
Watkins and Butler will compete to start opposite senior-to-be Cole Luke next fall, with Russell seeming likely to declare for the NFL Draft.
The Barn was packed with college football fans as they hosted an Ohio State game day party.
“He’s a physical back”. Yesterday the Buckeyes showed their dominance as they cruised through Notre Dame even without their entire starting defensive line playing. “He did some special things with his feet today”.
Notre Dame could not muster any offense on either of its final two drives, though.
Notre Dame had only one really big play in the air, an 81-yard touchdown pass to its No. 1 receiver, Will Fuller.
Kizer connected with Chris Brown on a 4-yard touchdown pass to open the second half, pulling the Irish within a touchdown.
ORLANDO, Fla. – Jake Rudock threw for 278 yards and three touchdowns and the Wolverines’ defense dominated throughout in the rout of the Gators in the Citrus Bowl.
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Then, Elliott gave the Buckeyes a 28-7 lead over the Fighting Irish with 1:48 to play in the first half.
