Notre Dame loses Smith and Fiesta Bowl

Everything was right in front of the Buckeyes, playing Michigan State, at home, without its starting quarterback. “I think I took the approach of getting better with this month and for this bowl game”. A probation sparked by the actions of the long-departed. It’s unfortunate, but I’m happy we won. A lifetime, really, on the banks of the Olentangy.

But they wanted, and maybe deserved, a shot at 51.

Playing in the high-octane Big 12, Oklahoma State’s defense was giving up 429.5 yards per game. I’m not comparing the two, but your rotation, we’d rather not. A few plays later, Kizer would score from a yard out to cut the lead to 28-14 just before halftime.

But the spirit of a team that fought its way to a 10-win season could be summed up in the way Notre Dame responded to the devastating blow to Smith in the early going, another issue when his replacement, Te’von Coney, was banged up and standout defensive tackle Sheldon Day’s battling through a foot injury and an illness he came down with late in the week.

Lee said he doesn’t have a timetable for a decision just yet, and Bell simply said “no comment” when prompted about his future. He was not speaking for the heartland zealots who made up the bulk of the 71,113 fans here Friday.

Knowing that they must answer, Notre Dame put together a nine play, 75 yard drive in just 1:19. We got a little bit of a lift because we had a play that went for 15 yards, plus we had 15 tacked on. “But stay the course, keep doing what we’re doing, keep recruiting, keep bringing in great guys like this, and we’ll get there”.

Could Kizer be next in the gilded lineage of Notre Dame quarterbacks?

Meyer was so dismissive of Notre Dame’s scoring potential that he went for a 4th-and-1 at his own 33 in the second quarter, and made it.

Motivation was never going to be a problem for Urban Meyer and several other members of his coaching staff due to their ties to Notre Dame. I think we had to go out there and make a statement.

Widely projected as the number one overall prospect in this year’s class, Bosa indicated he would make his final decision after the Fiesta Bowl game. Worthy of a penalty, clearly.

Bosa apologized on Twitter and was tearful as he left the field. Treadwell joined Ike Hilliard as the only other player to catch three touchdown passes in a Sugar Bowl game.

In the last game of his charmed debut season, the redshirt freshman completed 22 of 37 passes for 284 yards and two touchdowns. However, Ohio State would use a pair of field goals on its next two drives while holding Kizer at bay with three fourth quarter sacks to establish a 44-28 lead and wind down the clock on its 2015 season.

It says something about what the standards are at Ohio State and how they have become even higher during Meyer’s four years there that a team has to defend or explain a 12-1 season. The junior speedster caught a short pass, tip-toed past a would-be tackler and sprinted 81 yards along the right sideline for Notre Dame’s final touchdown of the day. They were not the losers in a backroom deal arranged by the selection committee, as were TCU and Baylor last season. It did not lose again and slipped into the playoff ahead of TCU, which had only lost to Baylor. Inside, they better understand the phrase first used by Raymond Chandler in “The Long Goodbye”: “You can’t win them all”. The committee likes that.

Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan passes against Iowa during the first half of the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game, Friday, Jan. 1, 2016, in Pasadena, Calif. Every week is a knockout round.

Elliott, a second-team All-American and Big Ten offensive player of the year, racked up 149 yards and four touchdowns, tying the Fiesta Bowl record for rushing scores.