The fourth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes will meet the fifth-ranked Notre Dame Fighting for the first time in nine years in the 2006 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, January 2. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:12 pm. ET.

Notre Dame is making its first Bowl Championship Series appearance since 2000, when the Irish faced Oregon State in the 2001 Fiesta Bowl. Notre Dame is looking to break a seven-game losing streak in bowl games.

Notre Dame and Ohio State will be meeting for just the fifth time. The series is tied at 2-2, with the Irish winning the first two games of the series in 1935 and ‘36. The Buckeyes won the two most recent contests between the two teams in 1995 and ‘96.

The Irish will be making their 27th bowl game appearance on Jan. 2, 2006. Notre Dame is 13-13 all-time in bowl games.

Junior QB Brady Quinn’s stellar 2005 campaign has pushed him to ownership of all of Notre Dame’s significant passing records, including career and single-season yardage, career and single-season attempts and completions, along with career and single-season touchdown passes. Quinn finished fourth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy this season, posting Notre Dame’s top finish since Raghib “Rocket” Ismail finished second to Ty Detmer in the 1990.

Senior wide receiver Maurice Stovall and junior wide receiver Jeff Samardzija have combined to become the only pair of teammates in the country with 10 or more touchdown receptions. Samardzija has a school-record 15, while Stovall is close behind with 11 (including 10 in Notre Dame’s last five games).

Notre Dame is currently averaging 38.18 points per game, on pace to break the school record of 37.6 posted by the 1968 team. The Irish also have scored 55 touchdowns this season, four off the record (59) compiled by the 1991 team. The school record for points in a season (426 in 1991) is in reach as well, as the Irish currently have 420 points - needing just six more to reach the single-season record.

Notre Dame’s offensive improvement in 2005 continues to lead the nation. The Irish have improved 143.6 yards per game this year from their 2004 production, ranking ahead of USC (+122.2) and Iowa (+121.8).

Sophomore running back Darius Walker became the ninth player to rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season at Stanford. Walker’s career-best 186-yard performance against the Cardinal pushed him to eighth on the all-time single-season rushing list with 1,106 yards.

Notre Dame finished sixth in the final Bowl Championship Series rankings, the highest for the team since midway through the 2002 season when the Irish peaked at No. 4. The No. 6 BCS ranking is the highest final ranking for the Irish since the inception of the BCS and guaranteed Notre Dame an at-large berth in one of the four BCS games.

Notre Dame’s minus-11-yard defensive rushing performance against Stanford marks the best effort (and fourth-best in modern history) by an Irish defensive unit in 37 years. The 1968 team held Georgia Tech to minus-42 yards rushing in a 36-4 victory on Nov. 16, 1968.

Notre Dame and Ohio State are separated by 280 miles, but they have faced each other on the gridiron just four times previous to this year’s Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. The Irish won the first two meetings in 1935 and 1936, while Ohio State earned victories in the two most recent meetings in 1995 and 1996, and he two teams have never met on a neutral field .

The teams’ current AP rankings (Ohio State #4, Notre Dame #5) are exact duplicates of the same rankings both teams held in the last meeting from the 1996 season. Ohio State won that contest 29-16 in Notre Dame Stadium. That game marks the most recent matchup for a top-five Notre Dame team against a top-five ranked opponent.

In that game, Ohio State dominated, with the Buckeyes taking 22-7 lead at halftime, and the Irish rushing attack putting up just 28 net yards in the first 30 minutes. Notre Dame would cut the lead to 13 points in the second half, but could not get any closer.

Pepe Pearson led Ohio State with 173 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Stanley Jackson completed nine of 15 passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns. For Notre Dame, Ron Powlus ended up 13 of 30 for 154 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Autry Denson compiled 55 rushing yards on 19 attempts.

Tags: Buckeye Football //