Elliott carries OSU past Irish in Fiesta

Elliott’s four rushing touchdowns tied a Fiesta Bowl record set by Arizona State’s Woody Green in 1972 vs. Missouri.

The Buckeyes were still in the coveted top four of the CFB rankings despite dropping behind Clemson in the poll, but lost to Michigan State on a last-second field goal in their penultimate game.

Elliott was Ohio State’s drive capper in the first half, scoring on three short runs. Elliott scored on 1-yard runs on the Buckeyes’ next two possessions for a 28-7 lead.Kizer scored on a 1-yard keeper with 29 seconds left in the half to make it 28-14.

Passing offense: Barrett completed 19 of 31 passes for 211 yards with one touchdown and one interception. After knocking off Notre Dame 44-28 in the Fiesta Bowl, Ohio State’s seniors will finish their careers having won 50 games. The Bucks conclude their season at (12-1) as #8 Notre Dame slips to (10-3).

Others did. Junior safety Vonn Bell, one of several Buckeyes expected to enter the National Football League draft early, said of the Spartans, “I knew they were going to get killed”.

Ohio State kept the game at arm’s length for its entirety, but Notre Dame refused to go away.

Meyer was right, nothing is ever good enough, expectations are often unfair and unrealistic, but when it comes to this Ohio State team it’s hard not to feel disappointed despite the number of impressive accomplishments. Coach Urban Meyer said Thursday that Elliott has declared for the NFL Draft.

Still, something tells me the Buckeyes will be just fine moving forward.

Notre Dame running back Josh Adams (33) scores a touchdown as Ohio State linebacker Darron Lee, right, defends during the first half of the Fiesta Bowl NCAA College football game, Friday, Jan. 1, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz.

According to Miller, Elliott is the “most NFL-ready” running back in this year’s class and also has the most potential of all available rushers.

“But like I said after Michigan State, that was something that we could have controlled”.

“You lose a guy like that early on, it significantly affects what you’re doing defensively”, Kelly said. Had those two plays gone differently the Fighting Irish would have been undefeated and ranked number one.

On Friday, they played like it. Smith was on crutches on the sideline at game’s end with what Kelly called “a significant knee injury”.

Both teams ended the regular season on five-game winning streaks, Tennessee finishing strong after a 3-4 start that included losses to Alabama, Oklahoma, Florida and Arkansas by a combined 17 points and Northwestern rebounding from lopsided Big Ten losses to MI and Iowa in consecutive weeks in October. The second-longest TD reception in Fiesta Bowl history pulled the Fighting Irish within 38-28, but they got no closer.

“I’m hoping for a Notre Dame win”, Derek Thomas, a Notre Dame fan, said. But couldn’t be more proud of the football team. “I believe I’m a better athlete than I showed today, and I believe that, with all the things we’ve learned in the past, all the experiences I’ve had in the past, that I should’ve executed a little better”.

“It’s been a wild journey with this team, something I couldn’t even imagine”, Ohio State cornerback Eli Apple said. The drive was capped by a 47 yard touchdown run by Elliot, his fourth of the day.

Ezekiel Elliott matched a Fiesta Bowl record with his fourth rushing touchdown to help push Ohio State ahead 35-21 heading into the fourth quarter. “I know the deadline is January 18, so I am going to take my time, talk to my family, review everything, cover all bases and then we’ll figure it out”. Fuller led all receivers in the game with 113 yards on six receptions.