Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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GAME PREVIEW: OHIO STATE ings. The Buckeyes fell out of the chase a couple weeks later following a 17‑14 home loss to Michigan State Nov. 21. "The fans are not really excited at this point," said Kevin Noon, publisher of BuckeyeGrove.com, the Ohio State site on the Rivals network. "Many are really kind of upset. They saw this team that was built to win the national champion‑ ship this year — last year was a bonus. Everybody had championship‑or‑bust aspirations this year, and they're not even in the playoffs. "It wouldn't be fair to say that repre‑ sents the whole fan base, but the vocal ones aren't happy with it. They're con‑ cerned this is shaping up to be the 2013 Orange Bowl, where an unmotivated team shows up that was one game away from being in the BCS Championship Game, and instead looked lethargic in the bowl game and was embarrassed on a large stage. "With the players, I think it will take some rallying of the troops to get them prepared for the game. I do think by the time the game comes around, the players will be ready to try to win a 12th game." A major storyline this year revolved around the quarterback position. Junior Cardale Jones earned the starting nod from Meyer after leading the Buckeyes to the two playoff victories and a 59‑0 win over Wisconsin in the Big Ten cham‑ pionship game, which was his first ca‑ reer start. Jones, however, struggled, complet‑ ing 22 of 37 (59.5 percent) of his passes for 298 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in Ohio State's first two games. After starting the Sept. 19 con‑ test against Northern Illinois with two interceptions, Jones was benched in the second quarter in favor of redshirt soph‑ omore J.T. Barrett, the Big Ten Quarter‑ back of the Year and a 12‑game starter in 2014 before he was sidelined with ankle injury in the regular season finale. Meyer and his staff tried using both quarterbacks in a variety of ways until Oct. 24, when Barrett earned his first start of the season against Rutgers and the Buckeyes won in a 49‑7 rout. Then Barrett was cited with a misdemeanor citation for operating a vehicle while im‑ paired and was suspended for the fol‑ lowing game against Minnesota Nov. 7. Jones reclaimed the starting role for a Facts & Figures NOTRE DAME VS. OHIO STATE Game Info Date: Jan. 1, 2016. Site: University of Phoenix Stadium (63,400 capacity). Kickoff: 1 p.m. ET. Television: ESPN. Radio: The broadcast can be heard live on SIRIUS Satellite Radio (channel 129). Series Facts: This is the sixth meeting between Notre Dame and Ohio State. The Buckeyes lead the series 3-2. Coaches: Notre Dame — Brian Kelly (55-22, sixth season); Ohio State — Urban Meyer (49-4, fourth season). Noting Ohio State: Meyer is 9-2 all time in bowl games … Four Ohio State assistants, includ- ing assistant head coach Tony Alford, offensive coordinator Ed Warinner, tight ends coach Tim Hinton and assistant athletic director for sports performance Mickey Marotti spent time coach- ing at Notre Dame.