Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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1-4 Record for Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. Since debuting in the bowl with a 34-21 victory versus West Virginia to win the 1988 na- tional title, Notre Dame has lost 41-24 to Colorado (1995 Fiesta Bowl), 41-9 to Oregon State (2001 Fiesta Bowl), and 34-20 and 44-28 in 2006 and 2016, re- spectively, to Ohio State. The Buckeyes are 5-2 in the Fiesta Bowl, the most wins and appearances by any one team in the bowl that began in 1971. 4 Touchdowns scored by Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott, tying the Fiesta Bowl record set by Arizona State's Woody Green in the 1972 victory against Missouri. BY THE NUMBERS BY LOU SOMOGYI What Worked • Getting Ohio State Off Balance. With its two start- ing defensive tackles out, Ohio State designed a game plan to protect its interior players. Taking a page from the Clemson defense, Ohio State attacked the Irish line with its linebackers all game long, and it took Notre Dame some time to find an answer. Late in the second quarter the Irish started to figure it out, and the result was Notre Dame sustaining longer drives for much of the rest of the game. Sophomore quarterback DeShone Kizer hit several quick throws behind the linebackers, moving the chains. On Notre Dame's scoring drive late in the sec - ond quarter, Kizer hit junior wide receiver Corey Rob- inson twice over the middle and found senior wideout Chris Brown on a drag route for a 19-yard gain in the third quarter. Notre Dame used a number of misdirection runs, including a sprint draw to freshman running back Josh Adams for a 12-yard gain and a reverse to fifth-year senior slot receiver Amir Carlisle for a 20 yards. • Red-Zone Success. Notre Dame overcame its sea - son long red-zone struggles, converting all three of its red-zone chances into touchdowns against the Buck- eyes. The Irish found success running between the tackles with both Adams and Kizer, which allowed them to move the chains and punch the ball in the end zone. Kizer made smart decisions and Brown made two excellent red-zone catches. His first went for six yards, converting a third-and-one to set up an Adams three- yard score. He hauled in a four-yard third-quarter fade throw for a touchdown, making it a 28-21 game. What Didn't Work • Containing J.T. Barrett On Third Down. Ohio State converted 10 third downs against Notre Dame, and quarterback J.T. Barrett was the driving force. He con- verted four third downs with his legs, using both de- signed runs and scrambles to move the chains. He also picked up nine yards on a third-and-10, bringing up a fourth-and-one that he would also convert on a QB sneak. Ohio State often emptied the backfield in these situ - ations, giving Barrett a run-throw option depending on Notre Dame's defensive alignment. Barrett also made smart decisions, adding four chain-moving pass completions on third down. The Irish started to pressure Ohio State on third down late in the game, which forced misses on the Buckeyes' final four third downs — but it was too little too late. • Using Defensive Line Twists And Loops. Running a defensive line twist or a loop can be risky against an offense like Ohio State, and that cost Notre Dame. On Ohio State's opening drive, Notre Dame stunted its defensive end inside, but Ohio State picked it up and opened up a wide lane for receiver Braxton Miller on a jet sweep. That 27-yard gain set up Ohio State's opening score. In the second quarter, Notre Dame ran an outside slant by senior defensive tackle Sheldon Day, and the Ohio State line used Day's outside movement to push him out and open up a crease for running back Ezekiel Elliott, who sprinted 16 yards to set up Ohio State's third touchdown. — Bryan Driskell TAKING A CLOSER LOOK