Fiesta Bowl 2016: Individual Matchups to Watch in Notre Dame vs. Ohio State
Outside of the College Football Playoff, there might not be a better bowl game than Notre Dame and Ohio State competing in the Fiesta Bowl. The New Year's Day game features as much talent as any this postseason, and many of those top players will be competing in intriguing one-on-one battles.
Each team comes into this game knowing it was a few plays away from contending for a national championship, but three combined losses have these squads on the outside looking in. Now, they will try to end the year strong with a definitive win over a top program.
In order to pull out the victory, however, the two teams will need key players to perform at a high level against top competition. Everyone on the roster needs to be at his best, but these individual matchups will likely decide the winner of this highly anticipated battle.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
OT Ronnie Stanley vs. DE Joey Bosa
You won't find many better one-on-one matchups in the entire bowl season. ESPN.com's Mel Kiper Jr. listed Joey Bosa as the No. 1 overall talent in the 2016 NFL draft, while Ronnie Stanley is No. 7. In any case, these are two of the best players at their positions in all of college football.
While some players would be nervous about potentially being beaten by a better player, Stanley is excited about the chance to take on an elite defender in this matchup. He said of his upcoming battle against Bosa, per Bill Landis of Cleveland.com:
"Yeah I look at it as an opportunity, that's all it is to me. At a critical moment in my life like this, leading into my life outside of college, you have to take advantage of every opportunity and this is a big one.
It's an opportunity to really set myself apart from all the other offensive linemen out there. That's how I look at it in my head.
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Both players will try to prove themselves to NFL scouts watching along, but more immediately, each has a major role in this game. Bosa will try to be his disruptive self by getting into the backfield, and Stanley will have to prevent the defensive lineman from making an impact. If you are watching the game and don't hear Bosa's name called, it likely is a good thing for Notre Dame's chances offensively.
While these two won't be battling on every play, as the coaching staff shuffles the defensive line throughout the game, when these two are lined up against each other, it will be must-see television.
RB Ezekiel Elliott vs. LB Jaylon Smith
If Bosa isn't the top defender taken in the NFL draft, Jaylon Smith could be, as he's arguably the best linebacker in the nation.
The Notre Dame star leads the team with 113 tackles, including nine of them behind the line of scrimmage. He has great instincts on the field and incredible speed for the position, helping him make plays all over the field.
This could be vital against one of the top running backs in the nation. Coming into the bowl season with 1,672 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns, Ezekiel Elliott is the key to Ohio State's offense. You can also be certain the team will give the junior enough chances to succeed after what transpired in the previous two games.
Elliott finished with just 12 carries in the Buckeyes' only loss, leading to many questions surrounding the offensive strategy. A week later, the running back torched an elite Michigan defense with 30 carries for 214 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
The running back's talent is unmistakable; the question is whether Notre Dame has the ability to slow him down. It will take a team effort, but you can be certain Smith will play a major role in attempting to keep Elliott contained.
WR Will Fuller vs. S Vonn Bell
In an offense that dealt with injuries and transitions throughout the year, Notre Dame's Will Fuller was one major constant, finishing the regular season with 56 catches for 1,145 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. No one else on the roster had more than three receiving touchdowns, while Fuller's 20.4 yards-per-catch average was second in the nation among players with at least 50 receptions.
If the numbers don't tell the whole story, the respect from his teammates should. The Fighting Irish voted the junior Most Valuable Player, per Paul Skrbina of the Chicago Tribune:
Obviously, if Ohio State can take out a player considered the most valuable on his team, it will go a long way toward winning the bowl game.
Vonn Bell won't match up against Fuller directly on most plays, but the safety will be in charge of making sure the receiver doesn't have too many open looks down the field. The deep threat needs only one or two passes to make a major impact on the game, but Bell has to stay alert to ensure his opponent doesn't bring down any big plays of this nature.
In last year's national semifinal, Bell was instrumental in preventing Amari Cooper from breaking loose, and although the All-American wide receiver had two touchdowns, he didn't have a single play of more than 15 yards. If Fuller is limited to these types of short catches, Notre Dame's offense will be extremely limited.
Any time you can keep a team's best playmaker in check, you have a good chance of winning a game. Bell has a difficult task but an important one for Ohio State's chances of winning the Fiesta Bowl.
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.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
