Just when it looked like Ohio State had forgotten how to ignite its explosive offense, the Buckeyes came up with one more big scoring play to clinch a win over Notre Dame in a highly anticipated Fiesta Bowl.

Ohio State scored on plays of 56, 68, and 85 yards to take a 21-7 lead at the half, but turned curiously conservative after intermission as Notre Dame fought its way back into the game. But with its lead cut to just seven, Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith converted a pair of long third downs to sustain a drive that was capped with a 60-yard touchdown run by Antonio Pittman.

This was not supposed to be the way this game played out. It was Notre Dame that was the big-play team all year, while Ohio State had struggled to get the ball to its top playmakers: Santonio Holmes and Ted Ginn. That changed on the Buckeyes’ first possession of the game, as Smith found a wide-open Ginn for a 56-yard score that set the tone for the contest.

Ginn made it 14-7 when he took a pitch on an option-reverse play and raced around left end for a 68-yard score. There are few players in college with the straight-line speed to match Ginn, and unfortunately for the Irish, none was wearing a Notre Dame jersey in this game.

The longest play went to Holmes, who got several yards clear of the defense to haul in an 85-yard scoring pass from Smith that made it 21-7.

Only an Ohio State fumble at the Notre Dame 9 and a blocked field goal prevented the game from getting out of hand in the first half.The Buckeyes outgained the Irish, 391-154 in the first two quarters, helped in part by a perfect 5-for-5 effort on third-down conversions.

Notre Dame had grabbed a quick 7-0 lead with a clockwork-like drive on its first possession, but struggled to regain that offensive form the rest of the way as quarterback Brady Quinn rarely had the time to find late-opening receivers downfield. Instead, it was Smith who got the better of the quarterback matchup, and the contest wasn’t close.

In two seasons, Smith has gone from uncertain starter to a dynamic pass-run threat who deserves to be mentioned in the same breath with Texas’s Vince Young. Time and again, he scrambled for key first downs or kept plays alive long enough to spot a second or third read for a completion.

Smith was at his absolute best when the Irish pulled to 27-20 with 5:27 remaining. Notre Dame appeared to have seized the momentum after holding the Buckeyes to just a pair of field goals in the second half. Facing a third-and-9, Smith converted a first down by faking an option run and hitting Pittman swinging out of the backfield.

Three plays later, on 3rd-and-11, Smith stepped out of a sure sack and was spun completely around, but kept his focus and calmly found Anthony Gonzalez for a 15-yard gain to the Ohio State 40. Pittman scored on the next play.

Smith finished with 340 yards passing and another 68 rushing — the type of performance that is sure to have him on the Heisman short-list next season. Quinn, who is likely to be there with him should he return for his senior season, was 29-of-45 for 294 yards, but was sacked six times and did not throw a touchdown pass.

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CAPITAL ONE BOWL
WISCONSIN 24, AUBURN 10

In the biggest bowl surprise yesterday, Wisconsin gave Barry Alvarez a sweet going-away present with an impressive win over Auburn.

The storyline entering the game was whether Wisconsin could hang on against an Auburn team that consistently improved all season and appeared poised for great things in 2006.Auburn’s stingy defense and high-powered offense were thought to be too much for a Wisconsin team that wasn’t overly impressive in any single phase of the game.

Yet it was Wisconsin that dominated on both sides of the ball. John Stocco, always a somewhat pedestrian quarterback in Alvarez’s preferred grind-it-out offenses, exploded for 302 yards and two touchdowns on just 15 completions. Tailback Brian Calhoun, a transfer from Colorado playing his first season with the Badgers, had 214 yards on 30 carries and also scored a touchdown.

Perhaps an even bigger surprise was that Wisconsin’s rebuilt defensive line was able to shake off its season-long struggles to hound Auburn quarterback Brandon Cox and tailback Kenny Irons all day.

The result was a one-sided victory – Wisconsin outgained the Tigers 548 yards to 236 – that gave Alvarez one final 10-win season before he steps aside to become Wisconsin’s full-time athletic director. It certainly seemed as though the motivation of wanting to send Alvarez out on top carried the day for Wisconsin against an Auburn team that was flat. As is often the case in non-BCS bowl games where the teams have varying levels of interest in the contest, this one was won by the team that most wanted to be there.

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AT&T COTTON BOWL
ALABAMA 13, TEXAS TECH 10

The matchup of Texas Tech’s high-powered offense against Alabama’s stout defense turned out to be no contest. The Crimson Tide held Tech 32 points below its season scoring average and got perhaps the ugliest game-winning field goal in football history from Jamie Christensen to claim the Cotton Bowl.

Christensen’s 45-yard kick as time expired was a low duck-hook that barely cleared the left corner of the crossbar, but it was a thing of beauty for the Tide, which finished the season 10-2. It was Christensen’s third game-winning kick of the season, and came after two earlier misses in the game.

Alabama’s best defense against the Texas Tech offense and quarterback Cody Hodges was to keep them on the bench, which it did by rushing 44 times and possessing the ball for more than 38 minutes. Hodges, who threw for over 3,000 yards and 30 touchdowns during the regular season, was held to just 195 yards on 15-of-32 passing.

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OUTBACK BOWL
FLORIDA 31, IOWA 24

Quarterback Chris Leak put an exclamation point on a difficult junior season with a huge game against Iowa. Leak, who hasn’t always looked comfortable in new coach Urban Meyer’s spread-option offense, threw for 279 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Both scoring passes went to Dallas Baker, part of a 10-reception, 148-yard day for the wide receiver.

Florida began the season with national championship aspirations, so some will view Meyer’s 9-3 mark in his first season in Gainesville as a failure. But he matched the school record, held by Steve Spurrier and Ray Graves, for most wins by a first-year coach.

A blocked punt and an interception returned for touchdowns, penalties, and other mistakes by Iowa contributed heavily to a 31-7 fourth-quarter lead for Florida, but quarterback DrewTate nearly pulled off an amazing comeback, throwing for a pair of touchdowns and leading the Hawkeyes to a field goal that made the score 31-24. With 1:24 remaining, Iowa appeared to have recovered the ensuing onsides kick, but was ruled offsides in a questionable call. Florida recovered the rekick and ran out the clock.

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TOYOTA GATOR BOWL
VIRGINIA TECH 35, LOUISVILLE 24

Virginia Tech returned to the scene of its stunning ACC championship game loss to Florida State – Jacksonville’s Alltel Stadium – and got the positive ending it was looking for. The Hokies trailed 24-13 early in the fourth quarter before rallying for a 35-24 win.

Former walk-on Hunter Cantwell, staring in place of injured Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm, threw for three touchdowns, but also three interceptions and fumbled as Virginia Tech staged its comeback. His counterpart, Marcus Vick, was an efficient 11-of-21 for 204 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions.