The 2006 TostitosTostitos is a brand of tortilla chips and dips produced by Frito-Lay and introduced in 1979, with national distribution in the United States reached in 1981. They are made from all-white corn. Traditionally, Tostitos chips contain no extra flavoring or preservatives, and thus are advertised to be...
Fiesta Bowl, played on January 2, 2006, was the 35th edition of the Fiesta Bowl, featuring
Notre DameNotre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
and
Ohio StateThe Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state...
. Ohio State won the game 34–20.
Ohio State's quarterback,
Troy SmithTroy James Smith is an American football quarterback for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Ohio State.Smith has also played for the San Francisco 49ers. He...
, became the frontrunner of the 2006 Heisman race, after he completed 19 of his 28 passes for 342 yards, including 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. Notre Dame's
Brady QuinnBrayden Tyler "Brady" Quinn is an American football quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. Quinn was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame.-Early Years:Brayden Tyler "Brady" Quinn was born on...
completed 29 out of his 45 passes for 286 yards.
Notre Dame got the 1st score of the game, with a 20 yard touchdown run by
Darius WalkerDarius A'Dunte Walker is an American football running back who is a free agent in the National Football League. He was signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Notre Dame.Walker has also been a member of the St...
. Then Ohio State responded on a 6 play 86 yard drive capped off with a 56 yard touchdown pass to
Ted Ginn, Jr.-College career:OSU track coach Russ Rogers recruited Ginn to run track, believing that he could qualify for the 2008 Olympics. However, his track career was put on hold in order to focus on football. Ginn was recruited as a defensive back by Ohio State....
In the second quarter, off a wide-receiver reverse, Ginn rushed 68 yards to the left side for a touchdown. Then with just over 2 minutes to go in the half, Troy Smith found
Santonio HolmesSantonio Holmes Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft after playing college football at Ohio State...
for an 85 yard touchdown pass, and Ohio State led 21–7 at half-time.
In the second half, Notre Dame' Darius Walker scored his second rushing touchdown of the game, to make the score 21-13. Notre Dame's defense forced 2 Ohio State field goals, and the score was 27–13. With 5 minutes left to go in the game, Darius Walker got his third rushing touchdown of the game, to make the score 27–20. On third and 5, with Ohio State eating up the clock, Ohio State iced the game with a 60 yard touchdown run by
Antonio PittmanAntonio Pittman is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Ohio State....
.
Aftermath
Notre Dame extended its bowl game losing streak to 8 games, which tied an NCAA record. Ohio State finished the season ranked #4 in the Nation, behind Texas, USC, and Penn State. Ohio State would go on to win a school record 20 consecutive games, including an entire season ranked at #1 in the nation.
A number of 1st round NFL draft picks played in this game including, A.J. Hawk,
Brady QuinnBrayden Tyler "Brady" Quinn is an American football quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. Quinn was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame.-Early Years:Brayden Tyler "Brady" Quinn was born on...
,
Ted Ginn, Jr.-College career:OSU track coach Russ Rogers recruited Ginn to run track, believing that he could qualify for the 2008 Olympics. However, his track career was put on hold in order to focus on football. Ginn was recruited as a defensive back by Ohio State....
,
Anthony GonzalezAnthony E. Gonzalez is an American football wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Colts in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Ohio State.-Early years:Gonzalez attended St...
,
Santonio HolmesSantonio Holmes Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft after playing college football at Ohio State...
,
Nick Mangold-New York Jets:Replacing Kevin Mawae at center, Mangold had a good rookie season, allowing only 0.5 sacks, committed only 3 penalties and made all the line calls. Mangold was considered to be the best prospect at center in the last 15 years according to NFL draft expert Mike Mayock...
and
Bobby CarpenterRobert J. Carpenter III is an American football linebacker for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft after playing college football at Ohio State.Carpenter has also played for the St...
.
The 2006 Fiesta Bowl would be the last played at
Sun Devil StadiumSun Devil Stadium is an outdoor football stadium, located on the campus of Arizona State University, in Tempe, Arizona, United States. The stadium's current seating capacity is 71,706 and the playing surface is natural grass...
. The Fiesta Bowl now is played at the
University of Phoenix StadiumUniversity of Phoenix Stadium, opened August 1, 2006, is a multipurpose football stadium located in Glendale, Arizona. It is the home of the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League and the annual Fiesta Bowl...
in
Glendale, ArizonaGlendale is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, located about nine miles northwest from Downtown Phoenix. According to 2010 Census Bureau, the population of the city is 226,721....
.
External links