Ohio State Hosts Iowa in Crucial Game For Both Teams – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/14/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 14, 2003
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Transcript of Press Luncheon
Windows A/V Press Luncheon
Depth Chart
Top 25 Polls
DEFENDING BIG TEN CO-CHAMPS MEET SATURDAY IN OHIO STADIUM
Ohio State returns home this week to host Iowa in a meeting of last year’s Big Ten co-champions. Saturday’s game in Ohio Stadium (capacity 101,568) is sold out as the two teams meet for the first time since 2000. Both teams boast identical 5-1 records for all games and are 1-1 in Big Ten play. Ohio State is ranked eighth in this week’s polls and Iowa is ninth.
This will be the first meeting between Ohio State’s Jim Tressel, last year’s National Coach of the Year, and Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, the 2002 Big Ten Coach of the Year. Tressel is in his third year with the Buckeyes. Ferentz is in his fifth season with the Hawkeyes. The Buckeyes and Hawkeyes shared the conference title last year with 8-0 records.
Saturday’s game will be televised by ABC-TV and will kickoff at 3:37 p.m. in front of a Homecoming crowd that will approach 105,000. WBNS Radio will, of course, broadcast the game throughout the state of Ohio on the Ohio State radio network. Additionally, the game will be carried outside of Ohio and Iowa by the USA Radio Network
The Buckeyes had their 19-game winning streak snapped last week at Wisconsin, falling 17-10 to the Badgers. Iowa is coming off a bye week after downing Michigan, 30-27, two weeks ago in Iowa City.
Ohio State is 5-0 at home this year and has won 13 in a row in Ohio Stadium. That streak includes five consecutive Big Ten wins in the Horseshoe. Iowa is 1-1 in road action this year, falling 20-10 to Michigan State in its lone loss of the year.
The Buckeyes are 2-1 against ranked teams this year.
ABOUT THE BUCKEYES
Ohio State is 5-1 on the year and ranked eighth nationally in both the ESPN/USA TODAY and the Associated Press polls. The Buckeyes are the Big Ten’s highest ranked team and own a 1-1 record in conference play.
After opening the season with five consecutive victories, all at home, the Buckeyes had their 19-game winning streak snapped this past week at Wisconsin, 17-10. It was Ohio State’s first conference loss in 11 starts.
The Buckeyes are currently tied with Iowa for sixth place in the early stages of the Big Ten race.
Ohio State enters Saturday’s game riding the crest of a 13-game winning streak in Ohio Stadium. The Buckeyes, who have not lost back-to-back conference games since 1999, are led by quarterback Craig Krenzel and split end Michael Jenkins on offense. Krenzel is completing 55 percent of his passes while Jenkins has caught passes in 32 consectuve games. Additionally, the emergence of tight end Ben Hartsock and flanker Drew Carter has given the Buckeyes three viable options in the passing game. Offensively, Ohio State is averaging 293.8 yards per game in total offense.
The Buckeye defense, meanwhile, is allowing 277.3 yards and 15.7 points per game. Ohio State has been particularly stingy against the run and ranks first nationally in that category, giving up 59.7 yards per game.
Linebacker A.J. Hawk paces the Buckeyes in total tackles with 58, including 22 solos. Hawk, a sophomore who is in his first year as a starter, has 36 tackles in the last three games. All-Americacandidate Will Smith paces OSU in tackles for loss with 9 as well as sacks at 5.5. The 6-4, 265-pound defensive end had a pair sacks at Wisconsin.
Kicker Mike Nugent and punter B.J. Sander continue to excel for the Buckeyes. Nugent leads the team in scoring with 40 points and has hit eight-of-nine field goal attempts and all 16 of his extra point efforts. He also kicks off. Sander is averaging 43.1 yards per punt on 36 kicks and has had 17 balls downed inside the 20. Nine others have been fair caught. Sander averaged 44.3 yard on seven punts at Wisconsin. Four of those were downed inside the 20, including one on the Badger 1-yard line.
BUCKEYE OFFENSE GETTING IT DONE IN THE RED ZONE
Ohio State scored on both of its red-zone opportunities against Wisconsin and is now 20-of-21 on the year. The Buckeyes have scored 13 touchdowns (seven rushing and six passing) and seven (of eight) field goals. OSU’s six opponents are 14-of-20 in the red zone (10 TDs and four FGs).
BUCKEYE RUSH DEFENSE RANKS 1ST
In the first six games of the 2003 campaign, the Ohio State defense has given up a total of 358 yards rushing on 191 attempts, an average of 59.7 yards per game and 1.9 yards per attempt. Both of the latter figures rank first nationally according to the latest NCAA statistics. The Buckeyes rank 10th nationally in total defense, allowing an average of 277.33 yards per game.
BUCKEYES EIGHT IN THE POLLS
Following the loss at Wisconsin, Ohio State dropped five places to the eighth spot in both major polls this week. The Buckeyes are 2-1 against ranked teams this year and are 7-1 since the beginning of the 2002 campaign. The Buckeyes’ highest ranking this year was second (they opened the season in the No. 2 spot).
WIN STREAK SOMETHING SPECIAL
Ohio State’s memorable 19-game winning streak came to an end at Wisconsin, where the Buckeyes fell 17-10 to the Badgers. During the streak, which was the second longest in OSU annals, the Buckeyes posted a 14-0 record in 2002 and won the National Championship, and won nine consecutive Big Ten games. They also were 13-0 at home during that stretch.
SERIES HISTORY
Ohio State has won 42 of the 57 games with Iowa (there have been three ties) and currently owns a seven-game winning streak in a series that began in 1922. The Buckeyes have a 26-7-1 edge in games played in Columbus and have won the last three games played in Ohio Stadium. Iowa’s last win in Ohio Stadium was a 16-7 decision in 1991.
The two teams last met in 2000 in Iowa City, the Buckeyes recording a 38-10 victory. In the most recent meeting in Columbus, the Buckeyes emerged with a 41-11 triumph in 1999.
The Buckeyes have an 11-4 edge in the series when both teams are ranked, including a 22-13 win in 1985 when the visiting Hawkeyes were the nation’s top-ranked squad. In 1983, Iowa upended the Buckeyes, 20-14, ending a string of 16 consecutive losses to Ohio State.
Some of the top individual performances in the series include 246 yards rushing by Ohio State’s Archie Griffin in 1973 and 319 yards passing by Joe Germaine in 1998, when OSU amassed 627 yards in total offense.
In 1988, Iowa’s Chuck Hartleib thew for 360 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 24-24 tie in Iowa City. In 1987, a 29-27 Iowa win in Columbus, the Hawkeyes’ Marv Cook hauled in nine receptions for 159 yards and a touchdown.
PUTTING THEIR BEST FOOT FORWARD
This week’s game features two of the nation’s premier placekickers in Ohio State’s Mike Nugent and Iowa’s Nate Kaeding. Both are candidates for this year’s Lou Groza Award as the best kicker in college football. Kaeding won that award last year and Nugent, who received first-team All-American laurels, was one of three finalists. Through the first six games of this year, Kaeding has hit all eight of his field goal attempts and has been perfect on all 19 of his extra point tries. Nugent has made all but one of his nine field goal attempts and has converted all 16 PATs.
COACH Jim Tressel
Jim Tressel is in his third year as head coach at Ohio State. His record with the Buckeyes is a glittering 26-6 for all games and 14-4 in Big Ten play and includes a Big Ten co-championship and a consensus national title, both last year. He is 17-2 in games played in Ohio Stadium and 10-3 against teams ranked in the Top 25.
After guiding the Buckeyes to the summit of college football in 2002 with a perfect 14-0 record, the 50-year-old Tressel was named National Coach of the Year by the Football Writers Association of America, the American Football Coaches Association and The Sporting News. He also received the Bobby Dodd and Paul “Bear” Bryant National Coach of the Year awards and was honored by the Pigskin Club of Washington D.C. and the Columbus Touchdown Club.
Tressel, who prior to coming to Ohio State spent 15 years as the head coach at Youngstown State where his teams won four Division 1-AA national championships, has an overall record of 161-63-2 as a head coach.
Tressel is just the fourth coach to lead Ohio State to an unbeaten, untied season, joining John Wilce in 1916 (7-0), Carroll Widdoes in 1944 (9-0) and Woody Hayes in 1954 (10-0) and 1968 (10-0).
This is Tressel’s second stop at Ohio State. He was an assistant coach under Earle Bruce from 1983 to 1985, serving as quarterbacks and receivers coach the first year before taking on the added responsibility of the running backs the next two years. During those three years, the Buckeyes played in the Fiesta, Rose and Citrus bowls and posted a combined record of 27-9. Some of Tressel’s more stellar students during those three seasons included Cris Carter, Mike Tomczak and Keith Byars.
Tressel is the son of former Baldwin-Wallace coach Lee Tressel. His brother, Dick Tressel, who currently serves on the Ohio State football operations staff, is also a former head coach, spending 22 years at Hamline University in suburban Minneapolis. As a family, the Tressels have won 440 games. Jim’s nephew, Mike Tressel (Dick’s son), is a graduate assistant for the Buckeyes.
CLOSE TO THE VEST
In his two-plus years at Ohio State, Coach Jim Tressel has demonstrated an ability to win the close ones, including three overtime decisions. In 2001, Tressel’s first year at Ohio State, theBuckeyes won two games by a touchdown or less (Minnesota and Michigan). Last year, in posting a perfect 14-0 record, the Buckeyes won seven games by that same margin, including overtime wins at Illinois and in the national championship game. So far this year, the Buckeyes are 3-1 in games decided by a touchdown or less. Under Tressel’s guidance, the Buckeyes have a 12-5 record in games decided by seven or fewer points.
BUCKEYE AWARD CANDIDATES
| Place kicker Mike Nugent |
Quarterback Craig Krenzel is 18-2 as a starter. TheBuckeyes’ co-MVP last year and the offensive MVP of the FiestaBowl, the heady signal caller is a candidate for the Unitas andO’Brien awards. In the win over N.C. State, he threw touchdownpasses in each of the three overtime periods — and did it with asore throwing arm that forced him to miss two games. In Saturday’sgame at Wisconsin, he threw for 202 yards and a late touchdown torally OSU to a 10-10 tie. A molecular genetics major, he has beennominated for a National Football Foundation and Hall of FameScholarship as well as the NCAA’ prestigious Top VIII Award.
Split end Michael Jenkins is a leading contender for the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver. The 6-5 senior turned in a stellar performance against N.C. State by grabbing seven passes for 124 yards and scoring the winning touchdown in the third overtime session. Jenkins had five receptions against Northwestern to move into fourth place on the all-time OSU receiving list. He added four receptions — for 48 yards and a touchdown — to his stats at Wisconsin. His 6-yard TD reception with 6:09 to play tied the game at 10-10. He currently paces the Buckeyes with 23 receptions for 389 yards and three touchdowns.
Center Alex Stepanovich, in his second year as a starter, is on the watch list for the Rimington Award as the nation’s best center. He can also play guard or tackle should the need arise. Stepanovich was selected by the OSU coaches as the offensive lineman of the week following the Washington game. Stepanovich sat out the N.C. State, Bowling Green and Northwestern games with an injury but returned to action against Wisconsin and saw action at guard. He should be 100 percent this week.
Junior Chris Gamble starts at cornerback and also return punts and kickoffs Now a much more physical player at 200 pounds (up 16 from a year ago), he will be a leading candidate for all of the player of the year awards, as well as the Thorpe Award as the top defensive back in college football. The Buckeyes’ “shutdown corner” leads the Buckeyes in passes broken up.
Mike Nugent is coming off a spectacular sophomore year in which he set nine school kicking records, led the team in scoring and won first-team All-America honors. Nugent finished second in the voting for the Lou Groza award last year and should be a finalist again this year. Nugent connected on 3-of-4 field goals in the win over San Diego State and is 8-of-9 on the year.
The Buckeyes also boast three of the top defensive linemen in the nation in seniors Will Smith, Darrion Scott and Tim Anderson. All three are candidates for the Lombardi Award in 2003. Smith leads the Buckeyes in tackles for loss (9.0) and sacks (5.5) and has 22 total tackles, one less than Anderson.
Sophomore linebacker A.J. Hawk has projected himself into the national spotlight and possible consideration for the Butkus Award. Hawk leads the Buckeyes in solo stops and total tackles with 26 and 58, respectively. He has 36 tackles in the last three games.
TRESSEL ON THE BUCKEYES
“The focus now for all of us, players and coaches alike, has to be on how to correct our mistakes and do the things we need to do to get better. You can tell a lot about your team by the way it handles adversity. This is a chance for our seniors to step up as leaders.”
RECAPPING WISCONSIN
| Split end Michael Jenkins |
The host Badgers reversed a recent trend of visiting teamswinning by upsetting the third-ranked Buckeyes, 17-10, in CampRandall Stadium. Wisconsin scored first on a 2-yard run by BookerStanley on the first play of the second quarter. Stanley’s runcapped off a 13-play, 63-yard drive. Ohio State got on the boardwith 4:02 left in the half on a 24-yard field goal by Mike Nugent.
Wisconsin increased the lead to 10-3 on a 38-yard field goal by Mike Allen with 5:09 to play in the third period.
The Buckeyes tied the game with 6:09 to play on a 6-yard pass from Craig Krenzel to Michael Jenkins. Krenzel, back in action for the first time in three weeks after suffering an elbow injury against North Carolina State, marched the Buckeyes 75 yards in seven plays for the score. The drive included a 46-yard pass to flanker Drew Carter. Two plays later the Buckeyes scored and seemed to recapture the momentum.
But the Badgers yanked the rug out from under the Buckeyes on their next possession with a 79-yard scoring pass from Matt Schabert to Lee Evans, the longest play of the year against the Buckeyes. Evans’only catch of the night gave the Badgers the win and ended the Buckeyes’ 19-game winning streak.
The Buckeyes wound up with 271 yards in total offense, while Wisconsin had 299. Krenzel completed 14 of his 26 passes for 202 yards, but the Buckeyes were held to 69 yards rushing. Senior center Alex Stepanovich saw his first action after sitting out three-and-a-half games with an ankle injury.
Punter B.J. Sander enjoyed another outstanding game, averaging 44.3 yards on seven punts. Linebacker A.J. Hawk continued his torrid play with 11 tackles, giving him 36 in the last three games.
ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA NOMINEES
Five Ohio State players have been nominated for the Verizon Academic All-America team which is selected annually by a vote of college sports information directors across the country. In order to be eligible for consideration, a player must have a GPA of 3.2 or better on a 4.0 scale, be at least a sophomore in terms of eligibility and be a starter or significant reserve. The Ohio State nominees are: quarterback Craig Krenzel, tight end Ben Hartsock, running back Maurice Hall, cornerback Dustin Fox and safety Will Allen.
HARTSOCK ENJOYING BANNER YEAR
Senior tight end Ben Hartsock, always a highly regarded blocker, is having his best year as a receiver. Hartsock had a game-high five receptions at Wisconsin, giving him 19 on the year, good for 159 yards and one touchdown. Hartsock came into the season with 25 career receptions — 17 of those last year.
“There can’t be a better blocking tight end in college football than Ben Hartsock,” said Ohio State coach Jim Tressel. “He is a terrific blocker and now he is also making spectacular catches.”
Hartsock had a career-best seven receptions in the win over North Carolina State.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Quarterback Craig Krenzel ranks eighth in career passing yards at Ohio State with 3,207. Jim Karsatos (1984-86) is in seventh place with 5,089 yards.
Krenzel also ranks 12th in career total offense at OSU with 3,653 yards. Eddie George (1992-96) is 11th at 3,768.
Split end Michael Jenkins is fourth in both career receptions (137) and career receiving yards (2,446) at OSU. Jenkins needs 18 receptions and 280 yards to move into third place on the OSU career lists.
Kicker Mike Nugent has 39 career field goals. The school record of 59 belongs to Dan Stultz (1996-2000). Nugent has made 39-of-50 attempts and ranks first in career percentage with a fanciful .780 figure.
BUCKEYE PLAYER NOTES
Offensive lineman Mike Kne (knee) has been converted to scholarship by the OSU coach Jim Tressel. Kne, a native of Cleveland, originally enrolled at Fordham where he started as a freshman in 2000. After transferring to Ohio State and sitting out the 2001 season, he lettered last year. The 6-4 junior made his first start as a Buckeye against Northwestern (at right tackle). Junior wide receiver Bam Childress made his first collegiate start against Wisconsin, getting the nod when the Buckeyes opened in a 3-wide out set.
PACKING THE STADIUM
In five home games in Ohio Stadium this year, the Buckeyes have drawn a total of 523,439 fans, an average of 104,688 per game in the majestic horseshoe. The largest crowd of the season was 105,078 for the opener with Washington. Each of the next four games all topped the 104,000 mark.
OHIO STATE IN THE RECORDS BOOK
Ohio State set an NCAA Division 1-A record in 2002 with 14 wins. In doing so, the Buckeyes recorded their fifth unbeaten, untied season (1916, 1944, 1954 and 1968 previously) and claimed their seventh national championship (1942, 1954, 1957, 1961, 1968 and 1970).
BUCKEYES ALL-TIME WIN TOTAL NOW 751
The Buckeyes, who first fielded a team in 1890 and are now in their 114th season of gridiron play, have an all-time record of 751-293-53.
THE BUCKEYES IN BIG TEN PLAY
Ohio State began Big Ten play in 1913. The Buckeyes currently have an all-time conference record of 409-156-24 and have either won outright or shared 29 Big Ten titles. The Buckeyes were a perfect 8-0 last year in conference play and shared the league title with Iowa.
OHIO STATE’S RECORD IN OHIO STADIUM
The Buckeyes own an all-time record of 347-101-20 since Ohio Stadium was opened in 1922. Ohio State has won 13 in a row in the Horseshoe, last losing to Illinois in the final home game of the 2001 season.
2003 OSU CAPTAINS
Quarterback Craig Krenzel, split end Michael Jenkins, defensive end Will Smith and defensive tackle Tim Anderson are the Ohio State captains this year. The four seniors were selected by a vote of their teammates.
GETTING THEIR FEET WET EARLY
Five true freshmen have seen action in the Buckeyes’ first four games — tailback Ira Guilford, tight end Louis Irizarry, defensive backs Donte Whitner and Ashton Youboty and defensive tackle David Patterson.
GAME 1 RECAP — OHIO STATE 28, WASHINGTON 9
| Split end Roy Hall |
Playing on national television and led by heady quarterbackCraig Krenzel and an unrelenting defense that proved mature beyondits youth at linebacker and safety, the Buckeyes easily dispatchedvisiting Washington 28-9 in their season opener. Krenzel, who tookcontrol of the game from the outset, was only slightly short ofsensational in running his record to 16-1 as a starter. His 37-yardstrike to flanker Drew Carter set up Ohio State’s first touchdown,a 2-yard run by junior tailback Maurice Hall with 8:31 to play inthe first quarter. The senior signal caller made it 14-0 with a23-yard scramble around left end with 2:51 to play in the firststanza and 21-0 with an 11-yard scramble, this time to the rightside, with 11 seconds left in the half. The latter play came onthird down and took the bark out of the Huskies. Krenzel threw for203 yards (his third career 200-yard game) and ran for 27 more inwhat has become typical of his stellar play. Six of his 15completions went to senior split end and fellow co-captain MichaelJenkins. Junior tailback Lydell Ross accounted for OSU’ otherscore, a 15-yard power burst off tackle with 6:06 remaining in thethird quarter. In addition to their two touchdowns, Hall and Rosscombined for 101 yards rushing.
The Ohio State defense, meanwhile, picked up where it left off a year ago, limiting the Huskies to nine points and 262 total yards, including just 7 on the ground. Washington quarterback Cody Pickett completed 26-of-49 passes for 255 yards, but no touchdowns, and most of that yardage came in the second half after the outcome had been decided. Pickett had just 77 yards at halftime.
Junior Simon Fraser, starting his third game but first as a regular at defensive end, led the defense with seven tackles, including three for losses and a sack and was named Big Ten co-defensive player of the week. Sophomore linebacker A.J. Hawk also had seven tackles in his first start.
Junior All-America candidate Chris Gamble had four tackles and a pass broken up and effectively took Husky receiver Reggie Williams — who like Pickett was being mentioned as a Heisman Trophy candidate — out of the game.
GAME 2 RECAP — OHIO STATE 16, SAN DIEGO STATE 13
| Safety Will Allen |
As was the case so many times last year in the Buckeyes’championship run, the Ohio State defense was the difference in OhioState’s 3-point win over San Diego State. On a day when the OSUoffense could muster but 196 total yards and was held without atouchdown, the defense got the job done by coming up with fourturnovers (two interceptions and two fumble recoveries) and holdingthe Aztecs to 216 total yards, including just 28 on the ground.
Will Allen’s 100-yard interception return for a touchdown midway through the first quarter was THE PLAY of the day and turned out to be Ohio State’s only touchdown. Allen’s tally, the Buckeyes’ first defensive touchdown of the year, and three field goals by All-American Mike Nugent, were enough for the OSU defense, which allowed only a pair of field goals over the last three quarters. Allen’s interception, which was tipped by cornerback Chris Gamble, and subsequent coast-to-coast runback, was the longest interception return in Ohio Stadium history, breaking the old mark of 88 yards, set by Howard “Hopalong” Cassady against Wisconsin in 1954. San Diego State led 7-3 before Allen, who is in his first year as a starter, gave the Buckeyes the lead for good. In addition to his interception, Allen, a senior from Dayton, also forced a fumble and had six tackles.
Cornerback Dustin Fox led the defense with nine tackles, equaling his career high. Sophomore linebacker A.J. Hawk was in on seven tackles and had three tackles-for-loss and two sacks.
Junior tailback Maurice Hall led all rushers with 91 yards, including a career-long 33-yard jaunt. Hall had a career-high 19 carries and picked up crucial yardage late in the game when the Buckeyes were trying to maintain possession. Nugent made his first two field goals on the day, extending his record for consecutive field goals made in Ohio Stadium to 17, before missing a 28-yard attempt. Following that miss, he began a new streak by hitting from 35 yards out.
GAME 3 RECAP — OHIO STATE 44, NORTH CAROLINA STATE 38
| Quarterback Craig Krenzel |
Ohio State prevailed 44-38 in triple overtime, running itsrecord to 3-0 and extending its unbeaten string to 17 games in arow. The game was every bit as exciting as the final score wouldindicate.
The Buckeyes jumped out to a 24-7 lead and seemed in control until turning the ball over with 9:26 to play. That started the ball rolling for North Carolina State, which scored 17-unanswered points to tie the score at 24 with 21 seconds left to play.
The two teams traded touchdowns in the first two overtimes, setting up a dramatic third extra session in which the Buckeyes scored a touchdown, missed the mandatory try for the two-point conversion, and then held on by stopping N.C. State on the half-yard line on fourth down.
In addition to being the first overtime game ever in Ohio Stadium, it was the longest game in Ohio State history, going four hours and 17 minutes from kickoff to the dramatic final play.
Quarterback Craig Krenzel again turned in a stellar performance, hitting 26-of-36 passes for 273 yards and four touchdowns, all career highs. Three of those TD passes came in the overtime periods. Krenzel also ran for a touchdown and was the Buckeyes’ leading rusher with 37 yards on 13 carries. Krenzel completed 10 of his 12 aerials in the three overtime periods.
Split end Michael Jenkins and tight end Ben Hartsock each caught seven passes and flanker Drew Carter had six receptions. Jenkins had TD grabs of 44 and 7 yards, the latter in the third overtime on third-and-three. Hartsock had a career high in receptions and grabbed his first touchdown catch of the season in the first OT. Carter also had a career-best day as the OSU offense totaled 317 yards.
Linebacker A.J. Hawk led the OSU defense with a career-high 12 tackles, including two for losses, and had a 55-yard interception return that set up Mike Nugent’s 22-yard field goal.
Will Allen added nine tackles and recovered a fumble that resulted in a 2-yard touchdown run by Lydell Ross, giving Ohio State a 14-0 lead with 2:47 to play in the first quarter.
It was Hawk and Allen who teamed up on the final play of the game to preserve the Ohio State victory. With the Wolfpack knocking at the door on fourth-and-goal in the third overtime, Hawk banged heads with T.A. McClendon at the half-yard line. As the two dueled for position like a couple of sumo wrestlers, Allen rushed in and lowered the boom, sending McClendon to the turf just short of the goal line, allowing the 104,890 fans on hand to breathe a collective sigh of relief.
The OSU defense recorded four sacks, two each by tackles Tim Anderson and Darrion Scott.
The Buckeyes also received an outstanding effort from punter B.J. Sander, who averaged 49.4 yards per kick on five punts. Sander dropped four of those punts inside the N.C. State 20.
GAME 4 RECAP — OHIO STATE 24, BOWLING GREEN 17
| Quarterback Scott McMullen |
On a day when the Mid-American Conference was pulling offupset-after-upset, senior quarterback Scott McMullen filled in forinjured regular Craig Krenzel and piloted Ohio State to ahard-fought 24-17 win over visiting Bowling Green.
McMullen got the Buckeyes on the board in the first quarter with a 7-yard touchdown strike to Drew Carter. McMullen, who was making just his second collegiate start and his first since 2001, completed 10 of his 16 pass attempts for 118 yards. One of those tosses, a 46-yarder over the middle to superstar split end Michael Jenkins, set up the Buckeyes’ final touchdown, a 3-yard run by Lydell Ross. It was the second TD of the day for Ross, who earlier scored on a 33-yard jaunt on fourth-and-one.
The Ohio State offensive line turned in its best performance since the season opener with Washington and, as a result, starting tailback Maurice Hall and Ross combined for 201 yards rushing, including a career-high 107 yards by Hall. Ross carried the ball 22 times and Hall 19.
The Buckeyes led 17-7 at the half and 24-7 in the fourth quarter before Bowling Green mounted a comeback and narrowed the deficit to 24-17. Suddenly the 104,358 fans in Ohio Stadium had visions of the triple-overtime win over North Carolina State in which the Wolfpack battled back from a 24-7 deficit to tie the score with 21 seconds left in the game. Senior safety Will Allen ended the comeback with an interception on the final play of the game.
Linebackers A.J. Hawk and Robert Reynolds and free safety Nate Salley led the Buckeyes in tackles with eight each, a career high for Salley. Hawk, Allen and cornerback Dustin Fox had interceptions for the Buckeyes, who also recorded five tackles-for-loss and four sacks.
The Falcons were held to 50 yards rushing.
GAME 5 RECAP — OHIO STATE 20, NORTHWESTERN 0
| Tailback Lydell Ross |
After forcing Northwestern to punt on its first possession,Ohio State marched 59 yards in 10 plays to take a quick 7-0 lead.It marked the first time in the 2003 season that the Buckeyes hadscored on their opening possession.
Junior tailback Lydell Ross put OSU on the board with a 12-yard run on which he was bottled up inside but bounced outside and raced untouched into the left corner of the north end zone. Quarterback Scott McMullen, making his second-consecutive start in place of injured regular Craig Krenzel, completed all four of his passes on the drive.
The Buckeyes also scored on their next possession, taking a 10-0 lead with 4:24 to play in the first quarter on a 32-yard field goal by All-American Mike Nugent. Linebacker RobertReynolds’ fumble recovery gave OSU the ball on the Northwestern 46-yard line.
McMullen made it 17-0 on the opening possession of the second half by flipping a 1-yard scoring strike to tight end Ryan Hamby on third-and-goal. The Wildcats were bunched up in the middle in expectation of an inside power play. Hamby was all alone. The 80-yard march was the longest of the year to date for the Buckeyes.
Nugent completed the scoring with a 42-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter. McMullen and Drew Carter hooked up on a 19-yard pass on the five-play drive.
McMullen completed 16 of his 25 passes for a career-high 166 yards and the one touchdown. Jenkins finished with five catches and moved into fourth place on the all-time Ohio State receiving list. Tight end Ben Hartsock also had five receptions and turned in another impressive game from a blocking standpoint.
Lydell Ross rushed for 43 yards for the Buckeyes who outgained Northwestern 311 to 185 in total yards.
Led by sophomore linebacker A.J. Hawk’s career-high 13 tackles, the Buckeyes recorded eight tackles-for-loss and three sacks, never allowing the Wildcats, who crossed midfield on just two occasions, to mount a serious threat.
B.J. Sander averaged 44.6 yards per punt on five kicks and dropped three punts inside the 20.
FOUR BUCKEYES SELECTED FOR BIG TEN HONORS
Junior defensive end Simon Fraser, who led the Buckeyes in solo tackles against Washington with six, including three tackles-for-loss and a sack, was named as the Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week following OSU’s win over the Huskies. Senior strong safety Will Allen was accorded the same honor following the San Diego State game in which he scored the Buckeyes’ lone touchdown on a 100-yard interception return, forced a fumble and was credited with six tackles. Senior quarterback Craig Krenzel was the Big Ten’s pick as co-Offensive Player of the Week following the win over North Carolina State in which Krenzel threw for four touchdowns, including three in the overtime sessions, and rushed for yet another score. Sophomore linebacker A.J. Hawk was the Co-Defensvie Player of the Week after a career-high 13 tackles in the 20-0 win over Northwestern in the Buckeyes’ conference opener.
ABOUT THE HAWKS
Iowa improved to 5-1 on the year and 1-1 in the Big Ten with a 30-27 upset victory against Michigan Oct. 4. The Hawkeyes have not played since that game in Iowa City. The other wins have come against Miami University (21-3), Buffalo (56-7), Iowa State (40-21) and Arizona State (21-2). The lone blemish is a 20-10 setback at Michigan State Sept. 27. That loss snapped a string of 10 straight Big Ten wins.
The Hawkeyes are averaging 29.7 points and 318.8 yards of total offense. That breaks down to 175.8 yards rushing and 143.0 yards passing. Nathan Chandler has completed 70-of-124 passes for 821 yards and 11 touchdowns while throwing three interceptions. Thirteen different receivers have caught a pass from Chandler with Maurice Brown leading the corp with 212 yards and three touchdowns in three games. On the ground, Fred Russell is averaging 121.0 yards and has played all six games. He has 136 carries for 726 yards and three touchdowns.
Opponents are averaging 13.3 points and 314.8 yards per game against the Hawkeye defense, a unit that is limiting the competition to 82.5 yards on the ground. Through the air, opponents are throwing for 232.3 yards per contest. The defense has benefited from 11 turnovers, including eight interceptions. Three of those have come from sophomore defensive back Jovon Johnson. The leading tackler is sophomore linebacker Chad Greenway, who has 68 tackles. He is joined near the top of the list by sophomore linebacker Abdul Hodge who has 62 tackles. Junior defensive lineman Matt Roth leads the team with nine tackles for loss.
IOWA’S LAST GAME
Nathan Chandler completed 17-of-34 passes for a career high 195 yards and two touchdowns to lead Iowa to a 30-27 come-from-behind upset win over Michigan at Kinnick Stadium. Michigan sprinted out to a 14-0 lead before the Hawkeyes scored a touchdown near the end of the first quarter. The Wolverines led 20-17 at the half before Iowa finally took the lead on a pair of Nate Kaeding third-quarter field goals. Chandler then hit Ramon Ochoa for a 31-yard scoring strike with a little more than 5 minutes left in the game to go up 30-20. Michigan’s Braylon Edwards caught a John Navarre 41-yard pass with just under 4 minutes. Iowa held the Wolverines on their final possession as the defense and a homecoming sellout crowd forced Navarre to throw three incomplete passes. Iowa won despite losing the battle of total offense, 463 yards by Michigan to just 295 from Iowa.
IOWA COACH KIRK FERENTZ
Kirk Ferentz (Connecticut, 1978) is in his fifth season as the head football coach at Iowa and is 27-27 at the school. Combined with a three-year stint as the head coach at Maine from 1990-92, his career record is 39-48. In 1999, the first year of Ferentz, the Hawkeyes were 1-10 overall and 0-8 in the Big Ten. Three years later, Ferentz had guided the Hawkeyes to an 11-2 record and went perfect in eight conference games to earn a share of the Big Ten title with Ohio State. It was the first conference championship for Iowa since 1990 and the 11 wins were the most in the history of the program. The Hawkeyes also earned a berth in the FedEx Orange Bowl, one of the four games that make up the Bowl Championship Series, where the team lost to Southern California 38-17. The team finished the year ranked eighth in both major polls.
BUCKEYES ON THE ROAD NEXT WEEK
Ohio State is at Indiana next week, the first game of a two-game road swing for the Buckeyes who play at Penn State the following week. A limited number of tickets are available for the Indiana game and can be purchased in person at the Athletics Ticket Office in the Jerome Schottenstein Center or by phone at either 614-292-2624 or 1-800-GO-BUCKS. Tickets are $41.00 each.
