Fiesta Bowl 2015: Individual Matchups to Watch in Notre Dame vs. Ohio State
The Fiesta Bowl matchup between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish is arguably the best non-College-Football-Playoff game of the postseason. There's no shortage of star power in this Midwestern battle.
Head coach Urban Meyer will lead his defending national champions into a battle with Brian Kelly's Fighting Irish in a New Year's Day clash from Glendale, Arizona. Like all big games, this one will be decided by the various matchups within the primary clash.
Here's a look at the three biggest matchups in this contest.
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Joey Bosa vs. Ronnie Stanley
The Ohio State Buckeyes are 21st in the nation in sacks with 34. Though Joey Bosa only has five of them, most would say he's the guy on the Buckeye defensive line who must be accounted for on every down. The primary responsibility for that will likely fall on the shoulders of Notre Dame offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley.
NFL Draft Geek says there's no bigger matchup during the bowl season than Bosa vs. Stanley:
The Notre Dame senior has already made his plans to go pro public, so this head-to-head battle against another top prospect like Bosa should be among the most watched by scouts.
If Bosa is able to get the better of Stanley—and any other Irish offensive linemen—it's going to be difficult for Notre Dame to get a legitimate passing attack going. The chances that Notre Dame will be able to win a game that features a run-dominant offense seems slim.
The Fighting Irish are 25th in the nation in rushing, but the Buckeyes' front seven is a stout group that would likely stifle Notre Dame's ground attack over the course of the game. Notre Dame will need to establish some semblance of an aerial assault to create balance.
William Fuller vs. Eli Apple
The Irish's top receiving threat is junior William Fuller. He leads the team in receptions (56), receiving yards 1,145 and receiving touchdowns (13).
Ohio State sophomore cornerback Eli Apple should draw the assignment of checking Fuller on most downs. In tough situations, Irish quarterback DeShone Kizer will be looking for his go-to man.
During the season, Fuller had a total of 14 third-down receptions. Four of them were for touchdowns, and four were in 3rd-and-10-plus-yards situations. Apple's play on Fuller in these scenarios will be key.
Ezekiel Elliott vs. Joe Schmidt
The Buckeyes may have the best offensive prospect in the game in junior running back Ezekiel Elliott. When he's getting the ball often, his team is at its best.
Ohio State ranks 12th in the nation in rushing this season. Elliott has run for 1,672 yards and 19 touchdowns. In the team's 11 wins, Elliott ran the ball an average of 22.73 times per game. In the Buckeyes' lone loss, he got only 12 carries.
You can bet Ohio State will lean on E Double a lot in the Fiesta Bowl. The responsibility of slowing Elliott and the Ohio State run game doesn't fall on one man, but the catalyst for the effort could be graduated senior Joe Schmidt.
The former walk-on must find a way to shoot the gaps his defensive linemen will work to create. If he can get into the back field to disrupt Elliott's initial move to the line of scrimmage, his play can be a major part of slowing the Ohio State offense.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
