Ten years ago Ohio State battled Notre Dame in the desert. This is a quick look back at the game played a decade ago.
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 6 Notre Dame | 7 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 20 |
| No. 4 Ohio State | 7 | 14 | 3 | 10 | 34 |
Troy Smith passed for 342 yards and rushed for 66 yards in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl.
BACKGROUND
The Buckeyes entered this game with a 9-2 record and ranked No. 4 in the country. Ohio State had a six-game winning streak and was coming off of a gritty 25-21 victory over That Team in Ann Arbor. The two losses were to eventual national champion Texas (22-25) and No. 16 Penn State (10-17) in Happy Valley.
Notre Dame came into the game with a five-game winning streak and a 9-2 record. The Irish lost to Michigan State (41-44) in OT and No. 1 USC (31-34). Much of the hype surrounding Notre Dame was offensive "guru" Charlie Weis and quarterback Brady Quinn.
RECAP FROM THE 2015 OHIO STATE MEDIA GUIDE
Led by Troy Smith and Ted Ginn Jr. on offense and All-America A.J. Hawk on defense, Ohio State ran roughshod over Notre Dame in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, downing the Irish 34-20 in a game that wasn't as close as the final score indicated.
After Notre Dame opened with a 20-yard run by Darius Walker, it was all Ohio State. Smith and Ginn saw to that. First they hooked up on a 56-yard scoring pass. Then Ginn gave the Buckeyes the lead for good on a dazzling 68-yard reverse. Smith connected with Santonio Holmes on an 85-yard pass that gave the Buckeyes a 21-7 lead at intermission. Had it not been for two fumbles and a blocked field goal, the margin might have been greater.
A 60-yard TD run by Antonio Pittman sealed the win. Smith was the MVP of the game. A.J. Hawk was the defensive MVP with 12 tackles, including 3.5 TFLs.
OHIO STATE'S PLAYERS
- Antonio Pittman ran for a game high 136 yards (6.5 ypc) and a touchdown. Pittman's touchdown was a 60-yard run that put the game on ice.
- Troy Smith completed 19/28 passes for 342 yards and 2 touchdowns. He was named the MVP.
- Ted Ginn Jr. had a Buckeyes with 5 receptions and a game high 167 yards receiving. He caught a 56-yard touchdown and a 68-yard touchdown run.
- Santonio Holmes had five receptions for 124 yards and an 85-yard touchdown.
- A.J. Hawk made 12 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss and was named the defensive MVP.
NOTRE DAME'S PLAYERS
- Brady Quinn completed 29/45 passes for 286 yards and was sacked five times.
- Darius Walker rushed for 90 yards and three touchdowns. He averaged 5.6 yards per carry.
- Stovall led the Irish with nine receptions for 126 yards.
KEY STAT
Ohio State scored four touchdowns of more than 50 yards.
QUOTABLE
A.J Hawk said this after the game per espn.go.com:
"I've been hearing a lot about how are you guys going to beat a
Notre Dame team when you give Charlie Weis four weeks to prepare for it," Buckeyes senior linebacker A.J. Hawk said. "That kind of upset me because I thought, 'What about giving coach Tressel four weeks to prepare for you?''
Notre Dame's head coach Charlie Weis:
"There are two ways you can go after a loss," Weis said. "One
way is you sit there and feel sorry for yourselves. The other way
is to take that bitter taste in your mouth and say I don't want to
have that taste a year from now."
The next season, 2006, Notre Dame had its best season of the Weis era going 10-3. However, the Irish were 16-21 in Weis' last three seasons (2007-2009) as head coach.
THE REST OF THE STORY
Ohio State finished the season ranked No. 4. The Buckeyes rode the momentum of the 2005 season and had an undefeated 2006 regular season.
Notre Dame ended 2005 as the 9th ranked team in the AP poll and dropped to 11th in the Coaches Poll. In 2006 the Irish had its best season of the Weis era going 10-3. However, the Irish were 16-21 in Weis' last three seasons (2007-2009) as head coach.
The final score was not reflective of Ohio State's dominance over Notre Dame.
MY THOUGHTS OF THE 2006 FIESTA BOWL
Expectations for the 2005 season hit a road bump when the Buckeyes lost a heart breaker to Texas early in the season. Tressel and the Buckeyes regrouped and earned a Big Ten Co-Championship. The Rose Bowl would have been nice, but defeating Notre Dame and gaining a 3-2 edge in the series was a very nice consolation prize.
I'm hopeful that the 2016 Fiesta Bowl will extend the series lead to 4-2.
| Oppontent | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Miami (OH) | W | 34-14 |
| No. 2 Texas | L | 22-25 |
| San Diego State | W | 27-6 |
| No. 21 Iowa | W | 31-6 |
| at No. 18 Penn State | L | 10-17 |
| No. 16 Michigan State | W | 35-24 |
| at Indiana | W | 41-10 |
| at Minnesota | W | 45-31 |
| Illinois | W | 40-2 |
| No. 25 Northwestern | W | 48-7 |
| at No. 17 That Team | W | 25-21 |
| No. 6 Notre Dame* | W | 34-20 |
| Total | 10-2 | 392-183 |
| 2005 Big Ten Co-Champs | 33-15 |
*2006 Fiesta Bowl
Sources
ohiostatebuckeyes.com
espn.com
Ohio State Team Guide
