Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Ohio State Buckeyes Match Player Stats On Jan 01, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Jan 1, 2016

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Ohio State halfback Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 149 yards and tied a Fiesta Bowl record with four touchdowns in his final college game in the No. 7 Buckeyes' 44-28 victory over the No. 8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at University of Phoenix Stadium on Friday.

Elliott, a junior, scored on 2-, ,1- and 1-yard runs in the first half, and his 47-yard dash on a counter play gave the Buckeyes (12-1) a 35-21 lead with 6:37 left in the third quarter. Coach Urban Meyer said Thursday that Elliott has declared for the NFL Draft.

The Buckeyes looked very much like a team that could repeat as the national champion but for a 17-14 walkoff loss to Michigan State on Nov. 21 that snapped their 10-game winning streak and kept them out of the Final Four.

Quarterback J.T. Barrett passed for 211 yards and a touchdown, with an interception, and rushed for 96 yards as Ohio State opened a 28-7 lead in the second quarter, the largest deficit Notre Dame faced this season.

Irish quarterback DeShone Kizer passed for 284 yards and two touchdowns, with an interception, and rushed for another score as Notre Dame (10-3) suffered its second straight loss. The Irish's only other losses were to Clemson and Stanford, both by two points.

Notre Dame wide receiver Will Fuller had six catches for 113 yards and a touchdown, and his 81-yard score brought the Irish within 10, 38-28, with 11:27 remaining. Halfback Josh Adams rushed for 78 yards and a touchdown

Ohio State had an edge in total offense, 496 yards to 405.

Sean Nuremberger had three fourth-quarter field goals for the Buckeyes, his last with 2:42 remaining.

Ohio State scored on its first two possessions on drives of 80 and 43 yards for a 14-0 lead less than halfway through the first quarter.

Elliott scored his first touchdown on a 2-yard run, and after a Notre Dame three-and-out, Barrett completed a 15-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Michael Thomas at 7:41 of the period.

Notre Dame, shut out in the first quarter for the first time this season, scored on Adams' 3-yard touchdown run halfway through the second period.

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. Kizer has 10 rushing touchdowns this season, a school record for a quarterback.

NOTES: Notre Dame LB and Butkus Award winner Jaylon Smith, the Irish's leading tackler with 113, was helped off the field with an apparent lower-leg injury midway through the first quarter. Smith, a junior, is ranked No. 9 overall by NFLDraftScout.com if he declares for the draft. ... Ohio State DE Joey Bosa was ejected with 5:25 remaining in the first period for targeting a Notre Dame player after an interception by Buckeyes S Tyvis Powell. The penalty negated the interception. ... Bosa, RB Ezekiel Elliot and QB Cardale Jones have declared for the NFL Draft, coach Urban Meyer said Thursday. Bosa is projected as the No. 1 pick by NFLDraftScout.com. ... Despite their geographical proximity, the teams have played only five times previously, the most recent being Ohio State's 34-20 victory in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl when Buckeyes quarterback Troy Smith threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns. ... The teams have won 19 consensus national titles, 11 by Notre Dame, and have appeared in 80 bowl games, 45 by Ohio State. ... Notre Dame two-year starter S Max Redfield, sent home Tuesday for violating team rules, was replaced by senior Matthias Farley.