Ohio State Accepts Invitation to 2006 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/5/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 5, 2005
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COLUMBUS, Ohio: Big Ten co-champion Ohio State has accepted a bid to play in this year’s Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. The Buckeyes will play Notre Dame in just the fifth-ever meeting between two of college football’s most recognized programs.
Both teams take 9-2 records into the game, which will kickoff at approximately 5:12 p.m. EST, Jan. 2, in Sun Devil Stadium on ABC.
“We are pleased to accept the Fiesta Bowl’s invitation,” said Ohio State Director of Athletics Gene Smith. “This is one of those dream match-ups that college football fans everywhere will be talking about during the next month. I know our fans are eagerly looking forward to a trip back to the Valley of the Sun.”
This will be Ohio State’s third appearance in four years in the Fiesta Bowl. The Buckeyes won the 2002 National Championship with a 31-24 double overtime victory over Miami in their initial trip to the desert. OSU returned to Tempe the following year and defeated Kansas State 35-28 in the 2004 Fiesta Bowl.
“It is a tremendous honor to be selected to play in the Fiesta Bowl,” said Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, whose squad closed out the regular season with six consecutive wins. “We know from experience that the hospitality of everyone involved with the game is second to none, and to have the opportunity to play a tremendous team like Notre Dame just makes it all the more special. As coaches, we certainly will not have any problem getting our players attention.”
Added All-America linebacker A. J. Hawk, “This is one of those games that players will remember for years to come. I know (current OSU linebackers coach) Luke Fickell still talks about the two Notre Dame games he played in when he was here as a player.”
The series between the Buckeyes and Irish is deadlocked at 2-2. Notre Dame won the first two, recording a dramatic 18-13 win in 1935 in Columbus and a 7-2 victory the following year in South Bend. The two teams did not play again until 1995, when Ohio State prevailed 45-26 in Ohio Stadium. OSU squared the series in 1996 with a 29-16 triumph in South Bend.
Ohio State will be playing in its 37th bowl game and fifth straight since Tressel took over in 2001. The Buckeyes have won their last three bowl games and are now 17-19 overall in postseason play, including a 3-0 mark in BCS bowl games.
