The 45th annual BattleFrog Fiesta Bowl features two of college football’s top traditional powers. On New Years Day, the Ohio State Buckeyes and Notre Dame Fighting Irish will battle in sunny Glendale, Ariz.
Ohio State
The Buckeyes saw their College Football Playoff hopes disappear when Michigan State Spartans kicker Michael Geiger hit a 41-yard field goal as time expired in the Horseshoe on Nov. 21. Despite the fact Urban Meyer's team would no longer hold a top four ranking, the loss to Michigan State may have been the best thing that happened to Ohio State this season. Dealing with adversity is the only way to grow as a team, a notion implied by University of Michigan head football coach Jim Harbaugh as he once referenced a quote from “The Lion King”: "The past can hurt. You can either run from it, or embrace it and learn from it."
The Buckeyes showed they learned from their lackadaisical performance against Michigan State. The following week, the Ohio State coaching staff granted running back Ezekiel Elliott’s wishes as Elliott carried …show more content…
Marshall has been somewhat of a non-factor for the Buckeyes lately, which isn’t hard to do considering the plethora of talent Ohio State has on the offensive side of the ball. Marshall’s impact on special teams is a big reason why the Buckeyes have been set up with a slew of short fields, and the speed he shows on the deep ball is strikingly similar to former Buckeye wideout Devin Smith.
Field position could be a catalyst for success for both teams as Ohio State and Notre Dame each have NFL prospects in their defensive fronts. Short fields could be especially crucial for the Buckeyes given that over the duration of the regular season, Ohio State hadn’t utilized its offensive weapons as effectively as many would have thought following an impressive showing in its opener against Virginia
Ohio State
The Buckeyes saw their College Football Playoff hopes disappear when Michigan State Spartans kicker Michael Geiger hit a 41-yard field goal as time expired in the Horseshoe on Nov. 21. Despite the fact Urban Meyer's team would no longer hold a top four ranking, the loss to Michigan State may have been the best thing that happened to Ohio State this season. Dealing with adversity is the only way to grow as a team, a notion implied by University of Michigan head football coach Jim Harbaugh as he once referenced a quote from “The Lion King”: "The past can hurt. You can either run from it, or embrace it and learn from it."
The Buckeyes showed they learned from their lackadaisical performance against Michigan State. The following week, the Ohio State coaching staff granted running back Ezekiel Elliott’s wishes as Elliott carried …show more content…
Marshall has been somewhat of a non-factor for the Buckeyes lately, which isn’t hard to do considering the plethora of talent Ohio State has on the offensive side of the ball. Marshall’s impact on special teams is a big reason why the Buckeyes have been set up with a slew of short fields, and the speed he shows on the deep ball is strikingly similar to former Buckeye wideout Devin Smith.
Field position could be a catalyst for success for both teams as Ohio State and Notre Dame each have NFL prospects in their defensive fronts. Short fields could be especially crucial for the Buckeyes given that over the duration of the regular season, Ohio State hadn’t utilized its offensive weapons as effectively as many would have thought following an impressive showing in its opener against Virginia