Arizona stadium ready for Fiesta

The Fighting Irish have tangled with the Buckeyes only four times.
By ROB TODOR
VINDICATOR SPORTS EDITOR
TEMPE, Ariz. -- One of the most-anticipated showdowns among this season's college bowls takes place today when the Ohio State Buckeyes, co-champions of the Big Ten Conference, take on Notre Dame in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl at Sun Devil Stadium.
The 35th Fiesta Bowl will be the last played at the stadium on the campus of Arizona State University. In 2007, it will move west to the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, to a $450 million stadium being built for the NFL's Arizona Cardinals.
The final game should be a classic showdown between Notre Dame's highly ranked offense and the Buckeyes' equally tough defense.
By the numbers
The Fighting Irish (9-2), ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press poll, feature quarterback Brady Quinn, considered one of the front-runners for next season's Heisman Trophy. This season, Quinn threw for 3,633 yards and 32 touchdowns. He completed nearly 65 percent of his pass attempts and had just seven interceptions.
Quinn will be challenged by an Ohio State defense that ranked No. 1 in the country against the rush and was No. 4 overall. The Buckeyes (9-2), ranked No. 4, feature a trio of linebackers -- A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter and Anthony Schlegel -- considered to be the top unit in the country, a strong line led by Mike Kudla and Quinn Pitcock, and a fast and hard-hitting secondary.
But the Fighting Irish have more than a quarterback. Receivers Jeff Samardzija and Maurice Stovall each had over 1,000 receiving yards and combined for 26 touchdowns. Quinn also has a tight end, Anthony Fasano, who had 45 catches, and a running back, Darius Walker, who rushed for over 1,100 yards and caught 36 passes.
Short history
Adding to the anticipation of the game is the short history of the two programs. While Notre Dame has played 333 games against Big Ten schools in its history, just four of them have come against the Buckeyes.
The first of those matchups, an 18-13 win by the Fighting Irish in 1935, is considered one of the greatest games in the history of college football. The Buckeyes led in that game, 13-0, at half-time, before Notre Dame rallied in the fourth quarter, scoring the winning points in the final minute of the game.
"The fact that we don't play on a yearly basis makes it a great matchup," said Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis.
Added Ohio State coach Jim Tressel: "I think it adds a lot to this game. We've only played four times before and here we are in one of the great settings in college football. I think it adds a little something to the intrigue, and I think you'll see it in the crowd's response."
todor@vindy.com