Notre Dame Football: 4 Burning Questions Ahead of the Irish's Bowl Game

Notre Dame football’s Fiesta Bowl matchup with Ohio State is one week away, and the Irish are gearing up for their high-powered clash with the Buckeyes in the Valley of the Sun.

As Notre Dame aims for its marquee win of the season, what questions remain unanswered for the Irish?

How Much Will C.J. Prosise Contribute?

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Injuries have slowed Irish redshirt junior running back C.J. Prosise over the last few weeks. After returning from a concussion, Prosise suffered a high-ankle sprain against Boston College in November.

Irish head coach Brian Kelly told reporters Wednesday that Prosise, who racked up 1,032 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns while averaging 6.6 yards per pop, participated in practice Tuesday and Wednesday without contact, per Irish247’s Nick Ironside.

Kelly told reporters, per CSN Chicago's JJ Stankevitz:

"

(Head trainer Rob Hunt) feels really good that he should be ready to play. I think we gotta push him through a threshold of being confident with cutting and things of that nature, because he’s had enough time to be where we need him to be. I think we just gotta get him over that hump of feeling like, structurally, I could do something here. I think by the time we get into next week we should have a real good feel of where he is.

"

True freshman running back Josh Adams certainly dulled the blow of losing Prosise. The long-limbed rookie carried the rock 18 times against Stanford and amassed 168 rushing yards and a score. He also cracked 140 rushing yards against both Pitt and Wake Forest.

Can Notre Dame Slow Ezekiel Elliott?

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The bulk of Ohio State’s offensive production is centered on the ground, as Buckeyes junior running back Ezekiel Elliott powers a rushing game that averages nearly 242 yards per game—12th most in the country.

Throughout their 11-1 regular season, the Buckeyes ran through and around a variety of defenses, including Virginia Tech (359 rushing yards), Penn State (315 rushing yards) and Michigan (369 rushing yards). Only Michigan State was able to slow Ohio State’s rushing charge, as the Spartans limited the Buckeyes to just 86 yards on 29 attempts.

Elliott averaged 139.3 rushing yards per game, the sixth most in the country, behind only LSU’s Leonard Fournette, Alabama’s Derrick Henry, Florida State’s Dalvin Cook, Oregon’s Royce Freeman and Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey.

Can the Irish Score Enough to Win?

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As much as Ohio State’s aerial attack has fluttered at times throughout the regular season, the Buckeyes still score plenty, averaging 35 points per game—tied for 29th nationally.

Notre Dame’s defensive issues have been well documented, of course, especially at the back end of the unit, which is still without both KeiVarae Russell and consistent safety play.

The benchmark to outrace Stanford in the regular-season finale on Thanksgiving weekend was right around 40 points. How many will it take to top the Buckeyes, and can the Irish offense deliver? Red-zone efficiency will be vital.

Can Notre Dame Win a Close One?

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There’s much to be settled before we start discussing the possibility of Notre Dame and Ohio State within a few points of one another down the stretch in Arizona. But out of holiday kindness, allow us to look ahead.

Should Notre Dame and Ohio State be locked in a back-and-forth game, jockeying with one another at the end, can the Irish come up with enough plays—both big and small—to finish the job? Kelly has rightly pointed out Notre Dame is two plays away from being undefeated. For a chunk of last season, as well, the same logic applied.

But whether it was an offensive pass interference call against Florida State in 2014, a two-point conversion attempt against Clemson in October or a last-second field goal by Stanford, the Irish have fallen short in their biggest matchups away from South Bend recently.

One or two plays don’t wholly determine a win or loss. But if it comes down to it, can Notre Dame finish on those high-leverage plays?

All quotes were obtained firsthand and all stats courtesy of CFBStats.com unless otherwise noted.

Mike Monaco is the lead Notre Dame writer for Bleacher Report. Follow @MikeMonaco_ on Twitter.