2003 Ohio State Football Postseason Notes – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/1/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 1, 2003
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THE BUCKEYES
Ohio State wrapped up the regular season with a 10-2 record for all games and a 6-2 mark in Big Ten play. The Buckeyes, who are making their 35th bowl apepearance, and their third straight under head coach Jim Tressel, are ranked seventh in the latest ESPN/USA TODAY coaches’ poll and eighth in the Associated Press poll. They are also fifth in the most recent BCS rankings. During the year, Ohio State played seven teams ranked in the Top 25, posting a 5-2 record against those teams, including a 2-1 mark against Top 10 squads.
THE CLASS OF 2003
The 26 seniors on this year’s Ohio State football team have compiled a four-year record of 39-11 heading into this year’s bowl game. The class includes starters Craig Krenzel (QB), Michael Jenkins (SE), Ben Hartsock (TE), Shane Olivea (OT), Alex Stepanovich (OG) and Adrien Clarke (OG) on offense; Will Smith (DE), Darrion Scott (DT), Tim Anderson (DT), Robert Reynolds (LB), Fred Pagac (LB) and Will Allen (SS) on defense, and punter B.J. Sander. BUCKEYE SNAPSHOT
Ohio State has won 24 of its last 26 games heading into this year’s bowl game. The Buckeyes are 1-1 in bowl games under Coach Jim Tressel – losing in the 2002 Outback Bowl to South Carolina (31-28) and defeating Miami (31-24) last year in two overtimes in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.
Led by senior quarterback Craig Krenzel, the offensive-MVP of last year’s Fiesta Bowl, the Buckeyes are averaging 23.9 points and 331.8 yards per game. Krenzel, who is 23-3 as a starter, has thrown for 1,851 yards and 11 touchdowns. He has topped the 200-yard mark seven times in 2003, including each of the last three games.
Split end Michael Jenkins is the Buckeyes’ leading receiver with 50 receptions for 738 yards and five touchdowns. The 6-5 Jenkins has 15 receptions for 255 yards in the last two games. Tight end Ben Hartsock has 33 catches and flanker Santonio Holmes 30, including five touchdown grabs. Holmes has been hot of late with 27 catches in the last six games.
Junior tailback Lydell Ross is the Buckeyes’ leading rusher with 744 yards and 10 touchdowns on 173 carries – all career highs. Ross did most of his damage late in the year, rushing for 503 of those yards in the Buckeyes’ last six games.
The Ohio State defense is allowing an average of 16.8 points and 290.1 yards per game. The Buckeyes are one of the nation’s top defenses against the run, yielding 60.5 yards per outing on the ground.
Sophomore linebacker A.J. Hawk leads the Buckeyes in total tackles with 96, including 11.5 tackles-for-loss. Senior strong safety Will Allen is next in line with 79 stops, followed by junior cornerback Dustin Fox and sophomore Nate Salley with 73 each. Allen turned in a stellar performance at Michigan, recording a career-high 14 tackles, 10 of which were solos.
Defensive end Will Smith paces the team in tackles for loss with 20 and sacks with 10.5.
In the kicking department, senior B.J. Sander is averaging 43.6 yards per punt and leads the Big Ten in net punting with a figure of 41.2. In the season finale at Michigan, Sander averaged 49.1 yards per punt on nine kicks – the fifth best one-game average in school history.
Placekicker Mike Nugent leads the Buckeyes in scoring with 81 points and has converted 16 of 19 field goal attempts and all 33 of his PAT tries.
ALLEN, SMITH NAMED ALL-AMERICANS
Seniors Will Allen and Will Smith have been accorded first-team All-America honors. Allen, who is in his first year as a starter at strong safety, was named to the Football Writers All-America team. The 6-2, 190-pound Allen is the Buckeyes’ second leading tackler with 79 stops. His hit on the goal line in the third overtime against North Carolina State preserved the win for Ohio State and he had key interceptions against San Diego State and Bowling Green. He also had a game-high 14 tackles at Michigan.
Smith, a finalist for the Hendricks Award as the top defensive end in college football, was named to the American Football Coaches Association squad. The 6-4, 265-pound Smith leads the Buckeyes in both tackles for loss (20) and sacks (10.5) and ranks fifth and fourth, respectively, in those two career categories at Ohio State.
Over the years, the Buckeyes have had 162 first-team All-Americans.
SMITH HEADS ALL-BIG TEN PICKS
Senior defensive end Will Smith has been named as the 2003 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, both by the league’s coaches and by a panel of Big Ten media pollsters. Smith also was named Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year by the coaches. Smith is one of eight Ohio State players to garner first-team honors. He is joined by offensive guard Alex Stepanovich (Coaches/Media), tight end Ben Hartsock (M), defensive tackle Tim Anderson (C), linebacker A.J. Hawk (C/M), cornerback Chris Gamble (M), strong safety Will Allen (C) and punter B.J. Sander (C). Second-team honors went to cornerback Dustin Fox (M), kicker Mike Nugent (C/M) and offensive tackle Shane Olivea (C/M), while offensive guard Adrien Clarke, quarterback Craig Krenzel, split end Michael Jenkins, safety Nate Salley and defensive tackle Darrion Scott all received honorable mention.
BUCKEYE BOWL NOTES
Should Ohio State be selected to play in the Orange Bowl, it would be the Buckeyes’ second appearance in Miami. In their only other visit, the Buckeyes downed Colorado, 27-10, in 1977. Including last year’s win in the national championship game, the Buckeyes have played in three Fiesta Bowls. OSU’s other appearances were against Penn State (a 31-19 loss in 1980) and Pittsburgh (a 28-23 win following the 1983 season). Ohio State also has appeared in four Citrus Bowls (1986, 1993, 1995 and 1996).
COACH Jim Tressel
Jim Tressel is in his third year as head coach at Ohio State. His record with the Buckeyes is a glittering 31-7 for all games and 19-5 in Big Ten play and includes a Big Ten co-championship and a consensus national title, both last year. He is 20-2 in games played in Ohio Stadium and 13-4 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 51-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 166-64-2 as a head coach. With a 35-6 win at Indiana earlier this year, he went 100 games over the .500 mark.
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). With five wins to start the 2003 season, Tressel directed the Buckeyes to 19 consecutive wins, the second longest winning streak in school history.
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.
Tressel is the son of the late Lee Tressel, a coaching legend at Baldwin-Wallace College in northern Ohio. 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 445 games. Jim’s nephew, Mike Tressel (Dick’s son), is a graduate assistant for the Buckeyes.
CLOSE TO THE VEST
In Coach Jim Tressel’s three seasons at Ohio State, the Buckeyes have demonstrated an ability to win the close ones, including four overtime decisions. In 2001, Tressel’s first year at Ohio State, the Buckeyes won two games by a touchdown or less (Minnesota and Michigan). In posting a perfect 14-0 record in 2002, the Buckeyes won seven games by that same margin, including overtime wins at Illinois and in the national championship game. In 2003, the Buckeyes are 5-1 in games decided by a touchdown or less, giving them an overall record of 14-5 in nail-biters under Tressel.
CALLING THE SIGNALS
Ohio State senior quarterback Craig Krenzel is 23-3 as a starter with the Buckeyes, including a 15-2 mark in Big Ten play. Krenzel’s first start came in 2001 at Michigan, a game won by the Buckeyes, 26-20. After a 31-28 loss in the Outback Bowl in which he played only briefly, the 6-4 native of Sterling Heights, Mich., directed the Buckeyes to a perfect 14-0 record and the national championship in 2002.
HOLMES ENJOYS BEST DAY
Redshirt freshman Santonio Holmes had his best game as a Buckeye at Michigan, hauling in eight receptions for 121 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Since taking over for injured Drew Carter at Indiana, Holmes has 27 catches for 460 yards and five touchdowns in the last five games. The 5-11 speedster from Belle Glade, Fla. leads the team in yards per catch with an average of 17.1 and is tied with Michael Jenkins for TD receptions with 5.
FOUR NAMED TO ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
Three Ohio State players – quarterback Craig Krenzel, tailback Maurice Hall and cornerback Dustin Fox – have been named to the CoSIDA District IV All-Academic Team and will now be on the ballot for Academic All-American. 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. A fourth Buckeye, tight end Ben Hartsock, was named to a second-team berth.
JENKINS NEARS CAREER MARK
Split end Michael Jenkins needs just 54 yards to become the Buckeyes’ all-time leader in receiving yardage. The 6-5 senior from Tampa, Fla. currently has 2,802 yards on 160 receptions. The school record of 2,855 yards belongs to David Boston and was set between 1996 and 1998. Jenkins moved into second place at Michigan with 132 yards, surpassing Cris Carter (2,725 yards between 1984-86).
With nine catches at Michigan, Jenkins also moved into third place on the all-time Ohio State receiving list. His 160 career grabs leave him eight shy of Carter, who currently holds down the No. 2 spot at 168. Boston is the career leader with an unreachable 191.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Quarterback Craig Krenzel ranks eighth in career passing yards at Ohio State with 4,304. Jim Karsatos (1984-86) is in seventh place with 5,089 yards.
Krenzel also ranks ninth in career total offense at OSU with 4,887 yards. Karsatos is eighth with 5,261 yards.
Kicker Mike Nugent has 48 career field goals. The school record of 59 belongs to Dan Stultz (1996-2000). Tim Williams had 49 during his career (1990-93). Nugent has made 48-of-61 attempts and ranks first in career percentage with a fanciful .786 figure.
Punter B.J. Sander has punted for a school record 3,272 yards this season, surpassing the one-season record of 3,252 set by Brent Bartholomew in 1992. Sander has punted 75 times this year, three more than Bartholomew totaled.
HOME ATTENDANCE MARKS FALL
In their eight home games in 2003, the Buckeyes drew a total of 838,963 fans for an average of 104,870 per game. Both figures represent single-season records in Ohio Stadium, breaking the old marks of 827,904 and 103,488 set last year. This year’s crowds included 105,286 against Purdue and 105,194 against Michigan State, the second and third largest crowds in the stadium’s history.
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 756
With a 10-2 regular-season record in 2003, the Buckeyes, who first fielded a team in 1890 and are now in their 114th season of gridironplay, have an all-time record of 756-294-53. That is a wining percentage of .710 for the Scarlet and Gray who played game No. 1,100 at Penn State.
THE BUCKEYES IN BIG TEN PLAY
Ohio State began Big Ten play in 1913. With this year’s 6-2 finish, the Buckeyes currently have an all-time conference record of 414-157-24 (.717) and have either won outright or shared 29 Big Ten titles.
AT HOME IN OHIO STADIUM
With an 8-0 slate in 2002, Buckeyes have an all-time record of 350-101-20 (.764) in Ohio Stadium since the giant Horseshoe was opened in 1922. Ohio State has won 16 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.
GAME-1 RECAP
OHIO STATE 28, WASHINGTON 9 1 2 3 4 F Washington 0 0 3 6 – 9 Ohio State 14 7 7 0 – 28
Playing on national television and led by heady quarterback Craig Krenzel and an unrelenting defense that proved mature beyond its youth at linebacker and safety, the Buckeyes easily dispatched visiting Washington 28-9 in their season opener. Krenzel, who took control of the game from the outset, was only slightly short of sensational in running his record to 16-1 as a starter. His 37-yard strike 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 in the first quarter. The senior signal caller made it 14-0 with a 23-yard scramble around left end with 2:51 to play in the first stanza and 21-0 with an 11-yard scramble, this time to the right side, with 11 seconds left in the half. The latter play came on third down and took the bark out of the Huskies. Krenzel threw for 203 yards (his third career 200-yard game) and ran for 27 more in what has become typical of his stellar play. Six of his 15 completions went to senior split end and fellow co-captain Michael Jenkins. Junior tailback Lydell Ross accounted for OSU’ other score, a 15-yard power burst off tackle with 6:06 remaining in the third quarter. In addition to their two touchdowns, Hall and Ross combined 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 ST. 13 1 2 3 4 F San Diego State 7 0 3 3 – 13 Ohio State 13 0 0 3 – 16
As was the case so many times last year in the Buckeyes’ championship run, the Ohio State defense was the difference in Ohio State’s 3-point win over San Diego State. On a day when the OSU offense could muster but 196 total yards and was held without a touchdown, the defense got the job done by coming up with four turnovers (two interceptions and two fumble recoveries) and holding the 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, N.C. STATE 38 1 2 3 4 OT1 OT2 OT3 F N.C. State 0 7 0 17 7 7 0 – 38 Ohio State 14 0 3 7 7 7 6 – 44
Ohio State prevailed 44-38 in triple overtime, running its record to 3-0 and extending its unbeaten string to 17 games in a row. The game was every bit as exciting as the final score would indicate.
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 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 1 2 3 4 F Bowling Green 7 0 0 10 – 17 Ohio State 7 10 0 7 – 24
On a day when the Mid-American Conference was pulling off upset-after-upset, senior quarterback Scott McMullen filled in for injured regular Craig Krenzel and piloted Ohio State to a hard-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 1 2 3 4 F Northwestern 0 0 0 0 – 0 Ohio State 10 0 7 3 – 20
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 had scored 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 Robert Reynolds’ 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.
GAME-6 RECAP
WISCONSIN 17, OHIO STATE 10 1 2 3 4 F Ohio State 0 3 0 7 – 10 Wisconsin 0 7 3 7 – 17
The host Badgers reversed a recent trend of visiting teams winning by upsetting the third-ranked Buckeyes, 17-10, in Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin scored first on a 2-yard run by Booker Stanley on the first play of the second quarter. Stanley’s run capped off a 13-play, 63-yard drive. Ohio State got on the board with 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.
GAME-7 RECAP
OHIO STATE 19, IOWA 10 1 2 3 4 F Iowa 3 0 0 7 – 10 Ohio State 10 0 7 2 – 19
In a classic defensive struggle between two of the Big Ten’s top defenses, Ohio State prevailed 19-10. Neither team scored an offensive touchdown. The Buckeyes, who were trying to get back on the winning track after a disappointing loss at Wisconsin, did so by scoring on a 53-yard field goal, a 54-yard punt return, a blocked punt and a safety. Iowa scored on a 36-yard field goal and a 5-yard run on a fake field goal.
The Buckeye defense, which came into the game leading the nation in rushing defense, held the Hawkeyes to 66 yards on the ground, including just 42 by talented tailback Fred Russell.
Iowa was equally stingy, limiting OSU to 56 yards rushing and 185 yards of total offense.
The difference in the game was the special teams, OSU scoring for the first time this year on either a punt return or a blocked punt. Michael Jenkins had the former, fielding the ball near midfield, slipping a tackle and racing into the end zone to give OSU a 10-0 lead. Ohio State had led 3-0 on a 53-yard field goal by Mike Nugent
Redshirt freshman Roy Hall blocked the punt for the Buckeyes, giving OSU a 17-3 lead midway through the third period. Hall came clean up the middle and blocked the ball at the goal line. Freshman Donte Whitner then fell on the loose ball in the end zone.
The Buckeyes picked up two more points on an errant shotgun snap that sailed through the end zone with 3:03 to play in the game.
Iowa got the ball back one more time, but Chris Gamble assured the Buckeyes of a win with an interception at the OSU 26-yard line.
In a game where offensive yards were hard to come by, senior receiver Drew Carter caught six passes for 95 yards to spark the Buckeyes’ aerial game. Carter led both teams in receptions.
The OSU defense was sparked by the play of end Will Smith and tackle Tim Anderson who combined for 4.5 tackles-for-loss and generally wreaked havoc all day long in the Iowa offensive backfield. Safety Will Allen and linebacker A.J. Hawk paced the Buckeyes with seven tackles each.
Punter B.J. Sander again turned in an exceptional performance, averaging 44.8 yards per kick and nailing a 62-yarder in the fourth quarter when the Buckeyes needed to pin the Hawkeyes deep in their own territory.
Nugent’s 53-yard field goal was the second longest in Ohio Stadium history by an OSU kicker and the fourth longest ever by a Buckeye.
GAME-8 RECAP
OHIO STATE 35, INDIANA 6 1 2 3 4 F Ohio State 7 14 7 7 – 35 Indiana 0 0 0 6 – 6
The Buckeyes lit up the scoreboard in Memorial Stadium, amassing season highs in rushing yards (216), passing yards (387), total offense (603) and first downs (26). The OSU defense, meanwhile, allowed Indiana 131 total yards and completely shut down the Hoosiers’ running game, limiting them to a minus 12 yards. The result was a decisive 35-6 Ohio State victory in front of 51,240 fans, many of which were clad in scarlet and gray.
Ohio State took control early, marching 78-yards with the opening drive that was capped off by an 11-yard scoring jaunt by junior tailback Lydell Ross. It was the first of three touchdowns on the day for Ross, who rushed for a career-high 167 yards on 23 carries and was over the 100-yard mark in the first quarter.
Quarterback Craig Krenzel completed 19-of-26 passes for 272 yards and one touchdown and redshirt freshman Santonio Holmes had a breakout game with six receptions for 153 yards a pair of touchdowns. Holmes first TD came with eight seconds left in the first half and gave the Buckeyes a 21-0 lead at intermission. Nickel back DonteWhitner, a true frosh, set up the score with his first career interception.
Holmes closed out the scoring on a 47-yard strike from back-up quarterback Scott McMullen, who completed all five of his pass attempts for 111 yards.
The OSU defense was again led by menacing end Will Smith who recorded two of the Buckeyes’ six sacks, resulting in a loss of 18 yards. Sophomore linebacker A.J. Hawk had a team-high five tackles, including two tackles-for-loss. Freshman cornerback Ashton Youboty had his best day as a Buckeye with four tackles.
The Buckeyes led 35-0 before the Hoosiers scored.
GAME-9 RECAP
OHIO STATE 21, PENN STATE 20 1 2 3 4 F Ohio State 7 0 7 7 – 21 Penn State 7 10 0 3 – 20
The Buckeyes jumped off to a quick 7-0 start, scoring on their first drive behind the running of junior tailback Lydell Ross. Ross set the tone early by bolting 31 yards up the left sideline on the Buckeyes’ second play from scrimmage. He capped off the 14-play, 74-yard drive with a 1-yard run.
But the Nittany Lions took a 17-7 lead with just over four minutes to play in the first half and appeared to have momentum on their side heading into the locker room. Additionally, OSU quarterback Craig Krenzel suffered a mild concussion just before the half and would be ruled out for the rest of the game.
Enter quarterback Scott McMullen, like Krenzel a fifth-year senior.
With the Buckeyes’ Big Ten and national title hopes resting squarely on the slender shoulders of the 6-3 McMullen, the free-spirited signal caller directed the Buckeyes on a masterful 80-yard scoring drive to open the second half. A 4-yard McMullen to Michael Jenkins TD pass capped off the 12-play drive, which also included a 38-yard completion to flanker Santonio Holmes. The Buckeyes were back in the game.
Penn State upped its lead to 20-14 early in the fourth quarter on a 48-yard field goal by David Kimball that cleared the cross bar with room to spare.
That’s where it stood with 5:55 to play when the Buckeyes took over for the last time at their own 28-yard line. McMullen again answered the challenge, moving the Buckeyes to the Penn State 5-yard line with 1:39 to play. On the next play, the 11th play of the drive, he hit Jenkins on a fade route in the right corner of the end zone and the game was tied. Kicker Mike Nugent gave the Buckeyes the lead for good.
Penn State had one more chance, but Kimball was short and right from 60 yards away on what would have been the game winner.
The win was the Buckeyes first in State College since 1995, snapping a string of seven-consecutive victories by the home team.
McMullen completed 12-of-17 passes for 111 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He hit all seven of his passes on the winning drive – two to Holmes, Hartsock and Jenkins and one to Ross. Holmes and Hartsock each had five catches.
Ross led the OSU ground attack with 110 yards on a career-high 24 carries, his second-consecutive 100-yard game. The Buckeyes had 301 yards in total offense and had scoring drives of 74, 80 and 72 yards.
The OSU defense recorded a season-best 10 tackles-for-loss, including three by All-America defensive end Will Smith. Cornerback Dustin Fox and safety Nate Salley each had nine tackles to pace the Buckeyes.
GAME-10 RECAP
OHIO STATE 33, MICHIGAN STATE 23 1 2 3 4 F Michigan State 7 3 7 6 – 23 Ohio State 3 14 10 6 – 33
Buoyed by the passing of quarterback Craig Krenzel and the running of tailback Lydell Ross on offense and a defense that almost inexplicably seems to get better each week, the Buckeyes downed visiting Michigan State 33-23 in front of 105,184 fans in Ohio Stadium – the second largest crowd in stadium history.
Krenzel, who sat out the second half of last week’s Penn State game with a mild concussion, was the one dishing out headaches on Saturday, completing 12-of-23 passes for 213 yards and three touchdowns in the win over the Spartans. The 6-4 signal caller hooked up with tight end Ben Hartsock and flanker Santonio Holmes on touchdown passes of 17 and 37 yards, respectively, as the Buckeyes built a 17-7 lead at halftime. He then opened the second half by directing an 80-yard march that concluded with a 2-yard scoring toss to tight end Ryan Hamby.
Ross keyed the ground game with 125 yards on 24 carries, all but 11 of those yards coming in the second half. It was the third consecutive 100-yard game for the 6-1, 225-pound junior.
All-America kicker Mike Nugent had an All-America day, connecting on all four of his field goal attempts, including a pair of three pointers in the fourth quarter to give OSU a little breathing room at 33-17 with 5:18 to play.
Ohio State had 395 yards in total offense against the 14th-ranked Spartans – 213 through the air and 182 on the ground.
The Ohio State defense was again spectacular, limiting the Spartans and quarterback Jeff Smoker to 378 total yards, including just 5 on the ground. Michigan State, which had 174 yards on its first three drives, had just 204 yards the rest of the way. The Spartans managed a scant 99 yards of total offense in the second half.
Linebacker Robert Reynolds had a team-high 10 tackles and A.J. Hawk, the Buckeyes’ leading tackler on the season, added seven. Defensive end Darrion Scott, rounding back into form after being sidelined with a sprained ankle, added a pair of sacks to the OSU cause.
GAME-11 RECAP
OHIO STATE 16, PURDUE 13 1 2 3 4 OT F Purdue 3 3 0 7 0 – 13 Ohio State 0 6 0 7 3 – 16
The Buckeyes closed out the home season with a 16-13 overtime win over Purdue in Ohio Stadium, extending their home-field winning streak to 16 games, including a perfect 8-0 mark in 2003. It was the second overtime victory of the year for Coach Jim Tressel’s never-say-die squad.
A spectacular kicking game and a stellar defense fueled the victory.
Punter B.J. Sander was brilliant, punting 10 times and pinning Purdue inside its own 10-yard line on five of those kicks. Place kicker Mike Nugent connected on three field goals, including one of 52 yards at the end of the half and the game winner from 36 yards out in the overtime.
The OSU defense forced a pair of turnovers and scored the Buckeyes’ lone touchdown of the day.
The two teams were tied at 6-all at the half. Ohio State took its first lead with 11:23 to play in the fourth quarter when defensive aces Will Smith and Tim Anderson stripped Purdue quarterback Kyle Orton of the ball. The Buckeyes’ Mike Kudla recovered it in the end zone for a 13-6 OSU lead.
But Purdue tied it at 13-all on an eight-play, 92-yard drive with 4:36 to play and the game went to overtime.
After Nugent calmly split the uprights from 36 yards out, the Boilers missed a game-tying attempt from 37 yards away and the Buckeyes chalked up their 24th win in their last 25 starts.
Quarterback Craig Krenzel completed 15 of his 29 passes for 226 yards, with Michael Jenkins hauling in six receptions for 123 yards. Lydell Ross rushed for 79 yards for the Buckeyes who totaled 355 yards on the afternoon against the veteran Purdue defense.
Cornerback Dustin Fox had 10 tackles, including nine solos, for the Buckeyes and Robert Reynolds added eight stops. Defensive end Will Smith had 2.5 tackles for loss and one of the Buckeyes’ two sacks. The Buckeyes were credited with seven tackles-for-loss.
GAME-12 RECAP
MICHIGAN 35, OHIO STATE 21 1 2 3 4 F Ohio State 0 7 7 7 – 21 Michigan 7 14 7 7 – 35
Playing in front of an NCAA record crowd of 112,118 in mega-jammed Michigan Stadium, Michigan jumped out to a 21-0 lead and went on to defeat Ohio State 35-21 in the 100th meeting between the two football giants.
In a surprising display of offense by both teams, Michigan rolled up 448 yards and Ohio State countered with 383 of its own.
Trailing by three touchdowns, the Buckeyes showed their grit by marching 81 yards on 12 plays just before halftime, cutting the deficit to 21-7 on an 8-yard pass from Craig Krenzel to flanker Santonio Holmes.
Michigan came right back on its first possession of the second half and took a 28-7 lead on a 30-yard run by tailback Chris Perry, one of two TDs on the day by the senior standout.
Ohio State then rallied with a pair of touchdowns to shave the lead to 28-21 with 13:53 to play in the game. A second Krenzel-to-Holmes pass and a 2-yard run by Lydell Ross accounted for the OSU scoring. The latter was set up by a 40-yard toss from Scott McMullen to Holmes. McMullen was pressed into action after Krenzel went down with an injury to his left shoulder.
When the Buckeyes’Chris Gamble intercepted a John Navarre pass on Michigan’s next possession, momentum appeared to be on Ohio State’s side. But the Wolverines’ defense forced a punt and the offense then marched 88 yards in eight plays to take a 35-21 lead with 7:55 to play on a 15-yard run by Perry. Neither team scored again and the Wolverines had snapped a two-game losing streak at the hands of the Buckeyes.
Ohio State, held to 118 yards in the first half, rolled up 265 yards after intermission to get back in the game.
Krenzel threw for 221 yards a pair of touchdowns, but missed much of the fourth quarter because of his injury. While Krenzel was out, the always dependable McMullen completed 8-of-13 passes for 108 yards.
OSU split end Michael Jenkins had nine catches for 132 yards and Holmes hauled in eight for 121 yards and the two touchdowns..
The Ohio State defense was paced by senior strong safety Will Allen, who recorded a career-high 14 tackles. Free safety Nate Salley added 11 tackles.
Punter B.J. Sander was again sensational, averging 49.1 yards per punt on nine kicks.
