Elliott’s Record Game Led To A Fiesta Bowl Win

He flashed his speed in the second, becoming the show stopper as he raced up the middle for a long run.

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) – Ezekiel Elliott ran for 149 yards and matched a Fiesta Bowl record with four touchdowns, sparking No. 7 Ohio State’s prolific offense in a 44-28 win over Notre Dame on Friday.

“All due respect to all the great running backs in Ohio State history, my first-round draft pick, I’d pick Zeke Elliott”, Meyer said.

“He’s as great a running back as I’ve ever been around”.

Thursday night, while Alabama was wearing Michigan State’s face as a mask, many horrified onlookers couldn’t help but comment that the Buckeyes likely would’ve given the Tide a much better match. They may leave the desert wondering what could have been after blowing past another playoff contender.

Elliott also threw the key block on a 7-yard third-down conversion run by J.T. Barrett during a second-quarter touchdown drive and sprung Jalin Marshall for 15 yards on an end around on the next series en route to Elliott’s third score. Two sacks of Kizer and another field goal ended a win that pushed Meyer’s Ohio State record to 50-4.

That explains reporters’ fascination with the Ohio State running back, but it doesn’t explain how a player who rips his coaching staff’s play calling after a season-altering loss to Michigan State remains in good standing and faces no discipline.

It seems harsh to ask about what might have been to players who had just scored a convincing knockout of a Fighting Irish team that might also have made the playoff, but it’s the elephant in the room that can’t be ignored.

But as impressive as Elliott’s performance was, his 47-yard score and a large chunk of his yardage came later in the game, after Irish junior linebacker Jaylon Smith left the game with a knee injury.

Notre Dame defensive lineman Sheldon Day said: “He’s a physical back”. “You lose a guy like that early on, it significantly affects what you’re doing defensively”. The Irish’s other losses were to Clemson and Stanford, both by two points.

Notre Dame trailed 21-7 but cut the deficit to 14 with a 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback DeShone Kizer with 29 seconds left in the half.

“That was a kidney shot”, Meyer said, referring to his morale, not Kizer’s torso.

Three minutes into the second quarter, ESPN color analyst Chris Spielman complimented Ash and co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell for the job they did scouting Notre Dame’s quarterback sneak.

His fourth touchdown tied a Fiesta Bowl record that was set by Arizona State’s Woody Green against Missouri in 1972.

Kevin Hogan passed for 223 yards and three TDs in his final game for the Cardinal (12-2).

ORLANDO, Florida – 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. Then we won three national championships.

Well, the rugby-style tackling implemented by Ash over the last two seasons was on full display in the Fiesta Bowl.

MI played without safety Jabrill Peppers, who sat out with an undisclosed injury.

Outback Bowl – Tennessee (9-4) capped its best season in eight years with an overpowering 45-6 victory over 12th-ranked Northwestern before a crowd of 53,202 in Tampa.

Passing offense: Barrett completed 19 of 31 passes for 211 yards with one touchdown and one interception. But Rutgers Athletics Director Pat Hobbs endorsed the decision by expressing his belief that Ash being on the New Year’s Day bowl stage would be a benefit for Rutgers.