Ohio State Returns to The Fiesta Bowl – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/29/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 29, 2003
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THE 2004 TOSTITOS FIESTA BOWL
Ohio State is making its second consecutive and fourth overall appearance in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. The Buckeyes are 2-1 in their previous appearances and have come out on the winning side of the ledger in both of their last two trips to the desert. In last year’s Jan. 3 game, the Buckeyes captured the national championship with a thrilling 31-24 double-overtime victory over the Miami Hurricanes. Ohio State’s first trip to Tempe was on Dec. 26, 1980. The Buckeyes fell to Penn State 31-19 that afternoon. Ohio State returned to Sun Devil Stadium on Jan. 2, 1984 and recorded a 28-23 win over Pittsburgh.
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 appearance, and their third straight under head coach Jim Tressel, are ranked sixth in the latest ESPN/USA TODAY coaches’ poll and seventh in the Associated Press poll. They are fifth in 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.
TRAVEL AND PRACTICE INFORMATION
The Ohio State team and official party will leave Columbus via private charter on the afternoon of Dec. 26. As they did last year, the Buckeyes will stay at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess and will practice at Pinnacle High School. Please check with Ohio State Associate Athletics Director Steve Snapp (614 648-0974) or assistant SID Todd Lamb (614 266-4307) for practice times and photo opportunities. All player and coaching staff interviews must be arranged through the university’s sports information office. OHIO STATE VS. KANSAS STATE
This will be the first meeting between Kansas State and Ohio State on the gridiron. The Buckeyes have an overall record of 25-3-1 against teams currently in the Big XII Conference. In its last meeting with a Big 12 team, Ohio State opened the 2002 season with a 45-21 win over Texas Tech. The Buckeyes played Texas A&M in the 1999 Sugar Bowl, winning that game 24-14.
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.
Both players were named to the Walter Camp Team. 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.
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.
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 gridiron play, 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.
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.
