“That was THE play,” Weis said. “What I said to the official on the field is I hope your guy upstairs was right because that changed the whole complexion of the game.”

Josh Huston kicked a 40-yard field goal and Ohio State led 24-13 with 2:20 to go in the third quarter.

Huston’s 26-yard field goal with 10:12 to play made it 27-13.

Notre Dame mounted its best drive, 80 yards in 13 plays, to cut the lead to 27-20. Walker’s 3-yard run was ruled a touchdown after another video review with 5:27 left.

Soon, Ohio State’s speed took over.

Ginn took Smith’s pitch on an end around and raced for a touchdown, leaving three Notre Dame defenders sprawled on the ground with a cutback from the sidelines 10 yards from the end zone. The Irish led 14-7 with 14:16 left in the first half.

Later in the quarter, Ohio State took over at its own 2. No matter. Smith scrambled from the 6 to the 15, then connected with Holmes for an 85-yard scoring play.

The previous record for longest pass in the Fiesta Bowl was 79 yards from Tennessee’s Tee Martin to Peerless Price against Florida State in 1999 and Oregon’s Joey Harrington to Samie Parker against Colorado in 2002.

It was the final Fiesta Bowl in Sun Devil Stadium. The game moves to the Arizona Cardinals’ new stadium in the west Phoenix suburb of Glendale next year.

“There are two ways you can go after a loss,” Weis said. “One way is you sit there and feel sorry for yourselves. The other way is to take that bitter taste in your mouth and say I don’t want to have that taste a year from now.”

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