Jan. 02--This one wasn't over before it began, though it might have felt like it.
Ninety minutes before kickoff Friday of Notre Dame's 44-28 loss to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl, the Irish announced the suspension of freshman defensive lineman Jerry Tillery for an unspecified violation of team rules.
He joined junior safety Max Redfield, who was sent home Tuesday for the same vague reason, on coach Brian Kelly's naughty list. That left the injury-riddled Irish, who had 20 players miss a game with injuries and used 38 starters, even thinner.
"We didn't feel like we were outmanned," Kelly said. "We were short-handed today, but we weren't outmanned."
It didn't hurt the Irish that Ohio State All-America defensive end Joey Bosa was ejected in the first quarter for targeting quarterback DeShone Kizer, who finished 22-for-37 with 284 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
The call was questionable and erased what would have been Kizer's second interception. And Bosa's punishment left Notre Dame left tackle Ronnie Stanley bewildered and disappointed.
"It was upsetting for him to get tossed out that early," said Stanley, like Bosa a projected first-round NFL draft pick. "We were excited about that matchup. ... We want to go against the best. We looked at that as an opportunity.
"That's the ref's decision. We weren't necessarily happy about it."
This one wasn't over shortly after it started, though it might have looked like it to the 71,123 in attendance.
Ohio State led 7-0 just 2 minutes, 6 seconds into the game when Chicago Tribune Silver Football winner Ezekiel Elliott ran for 2 of his 149 yards and the first of his four touchdowns.
The Buckeyes (12-1) made it 14-0 one play after Notre Dame All-America linebacker Jaylon Smith saw his likely college swansong end with what Kelly called a "significant (left) knee injury."
"We were playing for Jay," linebacker Jarrett Grace said. "We tried to make things happen."
The Irish did, cutting the deficit in half with 7:34 left in the second quarter on Josh Adams' 3-yard touchdown run. They pulled within seven again with 8:58 left in the third on Kizer's 4-yard scoring pass to Chris Brown.
This one wasn't even over when Smith's replacement, Te'von Coney, left the game shortly after entering because of a wrist injury.
Grace took his place, playing weak-side linebacker for the first time in his life, and had nine tackles, third on the team behind Elijah Shumate and Joe Schmidt with 13 each.
Schmidt also had a harder-than-it-should-have-been interception of J.T. Barrett that he bobbled before returning it 21 yards to set up Brown's touchdown catch.
"That was frightening," Schmidt said. "I almost choked it. I was so worried I was going to drop it. I was protecting it like it was a child."
This one was over, however, when the Buckeyes kicked three fourth-quarter field goals and recovered Kizer's fumble with 1:27 left and a 16-point lead.
And thus, Notre Dame's season was over at 10-3.
The week began on the wrong foot for cornerback Devin Butler, a fill-in starter who broke his right foot Monday during practice at Scottsdale Community College.
Practice week ended on the wrong foot, too, when All-America defensive lineman Sheldon Day reportedly suffered a significant foot injury Wednesday. Day, though, played through what Kelly initially thought was a broken foot.
To add insult to perceived injury, Day fell ill Thursday night and was on IVs Friday morning.
"He got treatment around the clock," Kelly said. "That's the kind of guy he is."
And the kind of players Notre Dame had.
This one wasn't over until it was over.
pskrbina@tribpub.com
Two-minute drill
One and done: RB C.J. Prosise, who had said he was ready and hoping to contribute this week, played one snap. He dropped a pass and didn't see the field again. "He just felt like he couldn't go," coach Brian Kelly said. Prosise hadn't played since suffering a high ankle sprain Nov. 21 against Boston College. He finished the season with 1,032 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns and 26 catches for 308 yards and a score.
Will the thrill: WR Will Fuller caught an 81-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter to pull the Irish within 10. It was the longest play Ohio State allowed this season and Fuller's fifth career TD catch of at least 72 yards. No other Irish receiver has more than two. It also was the 10th TD catch this season of at least 30 yards for Fuller, who had 113 yards on six catches Friday.
Satisfying sub: CB Nick Watkins filled in Friday for Devin Butler (broken foot this week), who had filled in for KeiVarae Russell (broken foot Nov. 21). Watkins did all right in his first career start, recording three tackles and the praise of his coach, who said Watkins competed well. "We knew he was going to be a target," Kelly said. "I love that he was not afraid of the moment."
They're back: DT Jarron Jones didn't play a down during the regular season thanks to a preseason knee injury. He saw limited action Friday. TE Durham Smythe, who suffered shoulder and knee injuries in Week 2 against Virginia, also played.
