Fast start carries Ohio State past Notre Dame in Fiesta Bowl

“I’m honored to continue the running back pedigree at Ohio State”.

Elliott showed off his speed to open the second half, blurring through a hole for his 47-yard touchdown to match the Fiesta Bowl record set by Arizona State’s Woody Green against Missouri in 1972.

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. Not when Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett passed for 211 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 96 more.

Ohio State’s NFL-bound defensive end Joey Bosa was ejected from the Fiesta Bowl in the first quarter for targeting.

“I did not even think about it”, Barrett said after the game.

Those skills should translate well in the NFL. More importantly, the program distanced itself from three seasons (2012-2014) in which former coach Brady Hoke went 20-18.

“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.

“It made my stomach hurt”, Buckeyes running back Ezekiel Elliott said.

Did the Buckeyes go into this game looking to make some sort of a statement to the College Football Playoff committee, the doubters and to themselves? They may leave the desert wondering what could have been after blowing past another late-season playoff contender.

The Buckeyes (12-1) rolled past the Fighting Irish (10-3), compiling 496 total yards.

Kelly needed contributions from far more Fighting Irish players than he could have envisioned in the preseason, and in a cruel way, that the list of injuries and suspensions grew during the postseason was a fitting end to a snakebitten year. “You lose a guy like that early on, it significantly affects what you’re doing defensively”.

Notre Dame gave up 82 points in its two losses this season – to Stanford and Ohio State.

Ohio State’s biggest problem in some unimpressive wins early in the season and in its one loss came on offense.

“We don’t want to be playing directional teams with no profile to them”.

Barrett did mix in a few bad reads and poor throws but overall his performance was a solid springboard into next season when, barring anything fluky, there won’t be a quarterback controversy or injury to create unrest at the most important position in college football.

The Bishop Luers graduate is Notre Dame’s leading tackler and victor of the Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker. – Notre Dame QB DeShone Kizer completed 22-of-37 passes for 284 yards and two scores with a pick, and he ran 15 times for 21 yards and a touchdown.

Watching from the stands, Bosa’s younger brother Nick, a member of Ohio State’s 2016 recruiting class, had the flawless response.

Notre Dame defensive lineman Sheldon Day said: “He’s a physical back. He did some special things with his feet today”. Smith fell with eight minutes remaining in the first quarter – carted to the locker room with Swarbrick at his side, his leg in a black brace, his golden cleat long gone, chewing dejectedly on a towel as his defense struggled to recover.

Let’s quickly appreciate 10-3 Notre Dame, too. In his last seven games, Barrett ran for 11 touchdowns and threw for nine. The Irish scored on their first possession of the third quarter, with receiver Chris Brown’s 4-yard reception capping a 58-yard drive to trim the deficit to 28-21 at the 8:58 mark in the period. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article. “This is our destiny right here and we accomplished that destiny”.