Fiesta Bowl 2016: Game Grades, Analysis for Notre Dame vs. Ohio State
If you were someone who questioned Ohio State's motivation for the 2016 Fiesta Bowl after falling just shy of reaching the College Football Playoff, it didn't take long for the Buckeyes to answer your doubts by emphatically sending a message to the college football world.
That message: Ohio State remains one of the nation's elite football teams.
Despite losing Joey Bosa to an early ejection, the Ohio State defense forced Notre Dame into a one-dimensional offensive attack—one which the Buckeyes had no trouble defending.
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We'll take a look at both sides of the football for both teams in our 2016 Fiesta Bowl game grades.
Here is the box score from today's game, via NCAA.com.
| Pass Offense | B+ | B+ |
| Run Offense | A | A |
| Pass Defense | B | B |
| Run Defense | A- | A- |
| Special Teams | A- | A |
| Coaching | B+ | A- |
Ohio State Pass Offense
J.T. Barrett wasn't lights-out awesome in the passing game, but he was nothing short of good, either. With 211 passing yards on 19-of-31 passing, Barrett provided enough of a threat in the passing game to keep the Notre Dame defense honest.
There weren't a lot of big plays (longest reception on the day was 30 yards to Ezekiel Elliott), but again, today's offensive attack for the Buckeyes needed the passing game only to keep the Irish from cheating up against the run.
In that regard, today was a rousing success for Barrett and his receivers.
Ohio State Run Offense
The run game is where Ohio Sate did most of its damage.
Ezekiel Elliott carried the ball 27 times for 149 yards and a Fiesta Bowl record-tying four touchdowns. Notre Dame had no answer for Zeke, and when the Irish began to key in on Elliott, the Buckeyes simply allowed Barrett—no slouch himself—to carry the football.
Barrett, by the way, finished with 96 yards on 23 credited carries.
Elliott often looked like a man among boys today, and whichever NFL team is lucky enough to snatch him up in the 2016 draft is getting one heck of an NFL-ready running back.
Ohio State Pass Defense
The Buckeyes did give up 287 yards through the air, but the majority of that came after halftime, when Notre Dame had all but abandoned the run.
The Irish were able to exploit a few holes at times, and the loss of Joey Bosa gave DeShone Kizer a bit more space and time in the pocket. Will Fuller is one of the best receivers in the nation, and his 81-yard touchdown reception was a black mark against the Ohio State secondary.
Still, if you take that play away, the Buckeyes limited 21 of the rest of Notre Dame's receptions to fewer than 20 yards.
Ohio State Run Defense
It was the Ohio State front seven on defense that really won this game for the Buckeyes, at least defensively. Notre Dame was limited to 121 rushing yards today. Only Clemson held Notre Dame to fewer yards (111).
Sure, Notre Dame was depleted at tail back with the loss of C.J. Prosise, but Josh Adams is no push-over, even as a true freshman.
Additionally, Ohio State had to overcome the loss of Joey Bosa. The Buckeyes proved that the talent in Columbus isn't a mile wide and an inch deep.
Ohio State Special Teams
Often unheralded, the kickoff coverage team did a spectacular job today of putting Notre Dame in poor field position all day. After awhile, it became a wonder that Notre Dame even bothered to return kicks rather than simply tacking the touchback at the 25.
The best starting field position for Notre Dame after a returned kickoff was the 17-yard line. C.J. Sanders, usually reliable for solid, and occasionally spectacular returns, was limited to 60 yards on five attempts (a woeful 12 yards per return average).
Sean Nuernberger also connected on all three of his field-goal attempts.
Ohio State Coaching
At 50-4, there's no doubt that Urban Meyer is emerging as one of the greatest football coaches Ohio State has ever seen. Given the history of Ohio State football, that's really saying something.
Meyer is now 50-4 at Ohio State, and today was a clear example of why he's found so much success.
First, Meyer can clearly recruit the best talent. Yes, Ohio State is one of those rare programs that recruits itself in large part, but it's still Urban Meyer and his staff that has to close the deal and convince the top players in the nation that Columbus, not Tuscaloosa, Ann Arbor or Talahassee, is the best football destination.
Secondly, and equally—if not more—important, Meyer prepares for his opponents as well as anyone in the nation, and we're including Nick Saban. We saw Meyer and Saban go head-to-head last season and Meyer came out on top. Meyer has now bested Brian Kelly's admittedly injury-depleted team. Who's next?
Wouldn't it be great to see Meyer match wits against Dabo Swinney or Bob Stoops?
There's always next year...
| Pass Offense | B | B |
| Run Offense | B- | C |
| Pass Defense | B- | B |
| Run Defense | C- | D+ |
| Special Teams | Incomplete | D |
| Coaching | B | C+ |
Notre Dame Pass Offense
DeShone Kizer didn't have a ton of help today. Even the best quarterbacks in the country need a bit of run support to open things up in the passing game, but Kizer didn't quite get what he needed.
Kizer was 22-of-37 for a respectable 284 yards and two scores, but his costly second-half interception and Notre Dame's general inability to move the ball in chunks doomed any chance the Irish had.
As previously mentioned, Notre Dame failed to put together a single pass completion of 20 yards, save for the lone Will Fuller score from 81 yards. The Buckeyes disrupted Kizer's timing, and Kizer was often forced into early throws before he could really settle into the pocket.
We can't hang the loss solely on the offense, though. There are plenty of days when 28 points will put you in a position to win a football game. Today against Ohio State was not one of those days.
Notre Dame Run Offense
Notre Dame wasn't in a position to win mainly because of the Irish offensive line's inability to control the line of scrimmage. Ohio State's front seven imposed its will on the Irish throughout the contest, and the running game for Notre Dame was never given a legitimate opportunity to establish anything.
Notre Dame rushed for 121 yards as a team, the lowest total of the season outside of the early loss to Clemson. The only other team to limit Notre Dame to fewer than 170 rushing yards was Stanford (127), also a loss for the Irish.
Amir Carlisle had the long carry of the day with 20 yards on his only run.
Josh Adams led the team with 78 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.
Notre Dame Pass Defense
Realistically, Notre Dame did a decent job of limiting Ohio State's passing game that can be, at times, explosive. The Irish never allowed the deep ball to get behind the secondary, and with two exceptions, every pass play was limited to 15-or-fewer yards.
But as the game wore on, it became apparent that the passing game for Ohio State was being used less as a means to move the football down the field and more of a tool to set up the running game.
Notre Dame Run Defense
And it was in defending the run that Notre Dame truly lost this contest.
Not only did Ohio State's offensive line do a fine job of blocking, sealing the edge and opening up lanes, but Ezekiel Elliott simply overpowered most of the Notre Dame front seven for extended stretches of the football game.
Notre Dame was unable to get off the field on third down, with Ohio State converting 10-of-18, and the Irish were often so winded by the time the Buckeyes reached the red zone, Notre Dame offered little more than token resistance at the end of drives—to say nothing of limiting red-zone trips to field-goal attempts versus touchdowns.
Yes, Notre Dame has been hampered by injuries all season, but we shouldn't allow that to be used as an excuse. You don't get spotted three points for having half of your starters on the bench due to injuries, and history won't remember the players who didn't play.
History will, however, remember the final tally.
Notre Dame Special Teams
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. That must have been the motto of CJ Sanders today, as he kept trying to make something happen on kickoff returns.
What actually ended up happening was a 12.0 yards-per-return average on his five kickoff returns. His best scamper of the day still ended up shy of the 20, at the 17. In no case was taking the touchback the worse option.
Notre Dame Coaching
There's only so much a coach can do with the players he has available, and we will forever be left to wonder what might have been for Notre Dame if it had not been for the shocking number of injuries suffered by the Irish this season. There's no question that Brian Kelly is a fine head coach, as his status as the new winningest active FBS coach begins in 2016 (following the retirement of Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer).
All of those injuries also have us wondering if it was even possible for Kelly to have coached his team to a win today.
That thought, of course, is a bit silly, considering the massive upsets we see each and every season in college football. Today, Notre Dame—including Kelly and his staff—simply could not find an answer on defense. Ohio State imposed its will, and the Irish were desperately trying to catch up all afternoon.
That's not a good way to play football, and it rarely results in victory.
Unless otherwise noted, quotes or references to quotes were obtained firsthand by the writer.
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