1-4 Record of Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. Since debuting in the bowl with a 34-21 national title victory versus West Virginia to win the 1988 title, Notre Dame has lost 41-24 to Colorado (1995 Fiesta Bowl), 41-9 to Oregon State (2001 Fiesta Bowl), and 34-20 and 44-28 in 2006 and 2016, respectively, to Ohio State.

The Buckeyes are 5-2 in the Fiesta Bowl, the most wins and appearances by any one team in the bowl that began in 1971.

4 Touchdowns scored by Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott, tying the Fiesta Bowl record set by Arizona State’s Woody Green in the 1972 victory against Missouri.

7 Years until Notre Dame and Ohio State are slated to meet again, unless they are matched up in another postseason contest. The two will play Sept. 3, 2022, at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, and Sept. 23, 2023, at Notre Dame Stadium. They will be the first regular-season meetings between the two since a two-game series in 1995-96.

10 Rushing touchdowns by sophomore quarterback DeShone Kizer after a one-yard sweep for a score with 29 seconds left in the first half. That eclipsed the Notre Dame single season record of nine by a quarterback shared by Tony Rice (1988) and Rick Mirer (1991).

10-2 Record of Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer in bowl/Playoff games. That .833 winning percentage is the best in college football history by any coach who has played in a minimum of 10 bowls.

44 Points scored by Ohio State, the most ever against Notre Dame in the 35 bowl games it has played. The previous mark was Alabama’s 42-14-victory in the 2013 BCS Championship.

81 Yards on junior receiver Will Fuller’s fourth-quarter touchdown catch that cut the Notre Dame deficit to 38-28. It was the second longest scoring pass in Fiesta Bowl history, behind only Santonio Holmes’ 85-yard catch in Ohio State’s 34-20 win over the Irish in 2006. Fuller’s score also was the seventh time Notre Dame scored on offense from at least 70 yards, the most in the nation this year.

835 Yards rushing by Notre Dame freshman running back Josh Adams after amassing 78 on 14 carries against Ohio State. That is the most ever by a Fighting Irish freshman back in one season, eclipsing the 786 garnered by Darius Walker in 2004 during a 12-game season. Jerome Heavens had 756 in an 11-game campaign in 1975.

1936 The last year Notre Dame defeated Ohio State in their six all-time meetings, with four straight losses since 1995. Among the top 10 teams in all-time winning percentage in college football, the drought against Ohio State is the longest among teams that have played at least 50 years. Nebraska is the next closest, with the last Irish victory against the Cornhuskers coming in 1948.

Turning Point

After sophomore quarterback DeShone Kizer found senior Chris Brown on a four-yard touchdown pass to pull within 28-21 with 8:56 remaining in the third quarter, Notre Dame had scored 14 unanswered points and established some momentum and energy. The Fighting Irish then forced Ohio State into a third-and-5 at its 48, but a quick pass to Jalin Marshall picked up the needed five yards. On the next play, running back Ezekiel Elliott romped through the middle for a 47-yard touchdown. That answer by the Buckeyes proved crucial because the Irish were unable to make it a one-score game again over the final 21 minutes of the contest. The run by Elliott was perfectly executed blocking up front and by the pulling tight end, and the running back quickly spotted the opening.

Stat Of The Game

Ohio State out-rushed Notre Dame 285-121, a telling sign of which team controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.

Notre Dame had averaged 214.8 yards on the ground coming into the game, highlighted by a sterling 299 yards and 8.5 yards per carry in the 38-36 loss in the season finale at Pac-12 champion Stanford. With Ohio State’s top defensive tackles sidelined either because of suspension (Adolphus Washington) or injury (Tommy Schutt), and then consensus All-America end/tackle Joey Bosa ejected with 5:26 left in the first quarter because of a targeting call, there was an opportunity by the Irish ground attack to exploit those setbacks. But much more of an onus was put on the passing game, especially after falling behind 28-7.

Defenseless Minus Jaylon Smith

Notre Dame’s chances at victory reached extremely slim proportions when Butkus Award winner and junior Will linebacker Jaylon Smith was lost the remainder of the game at the 8-minute mark of the first quarter. The Irish already were behind 7-0, and Ohio State scored from 16 yards out the first play after Smith’s departure. The Buckeyes might have scored 40 points even with Smith in the lineup, but without him the Irish were going to need to force about three or four turnovers to have a chance at victory. Ohio State scored touchdowns on four of its five first-half possessions, but the Irish defense performed commendably to limit the Buckeyes to 16 second-half points. Once again, defense and the future of coordinator Brian VanGorder will be the top topic during the 2016 off season.