2003 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

The 2003 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented the Ohio State University in the college football season of 2003–2004. The team's head coach was Jim Tressel. The Buckeyes played their home games in Ohio Stadium. Ohio State finished the season with a record of 11–2 and placed second in the Big Ten with conference record of 6–2. The Buckeyes concluded their season with a victory over Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl.

Coaching staff

 * Jim Tressel - Head Coach - 3rd year
 * Jim Bollman - Offensive Line/OC (3rd year)
 * Joe Daniels - Quarterbacks (3rd year)
 * Mark Dantonio - Defensive Coordinator (3rd year)
 * Luke Fickell - Speical Teams (2nd year)
 * Jim Heacock - Defensive Line (9th year)
 * Mark Snyder - Defensive Linebackers (3rd year)
 * Tim Spencer - Running Backs (10th year)
 * Mel Tucker - Defensive Backs (3rd year)


 * Bob Tucker - Director of Football Operations (9th year)
 * Dick Tressel - Associate Director of Football Operations (3rd year)
 * Bill Conley - Recruiting Coordinator (16th year)

Washington Huskies

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The 2003 season opened to excitement and to disappointment. Reports surfaced during the preseason that led to star RB Maurice Clarett being suspended indefinitely, and he was the center of attention as ESPN’s College Gameday came to Columbus. A top 20 battle was set to be waged between the #17/19 Washington Huskies and the #2 ranked defending National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes. Ohio State came in 5–0 in night games in Ohio Stadium; meanwhile Washington was welcoming a new head coach, Keith Gilberston, who was replacing the fired Rick Neuheisel. The Huskies featured such stars as QB "Cowboy" Cody Pickett, 1st round draft pick Reggie Williams, offensive tackle Khaliff Barnes, and TE Joe Toledo (who would go on to the NFL as an OT). On the defensive side Greg Carothers and Roc Alexander were the big names, but they would be no match for the powerful Ohio State offense.

Maurice Hall scored at the 8:31 mark in the first Quarter to take a 7–0 lead. They built on that lead with a magnificent 28-yard scramble by Craig Krenzel with 2:51 left in the 1st. Ohio state would take a 21–0 lead into halftime, when Craig Krenzel again scrambled 11 yards for a score with 22 seconds left remaining.

Washington came out with some renewed vigor to start the 3rd, but only came away with a field goal by Evan Knudson, making it 21–3, with 13:22 left to go in the 3rd. Ohio State wouldn’t slow down however, and junior tailback Lydell Ross scored off a bruising 12-yard run to make it 28–3. Cody Pickett closed out the scoring by rolling out for a 2-yard run, but failing on the 2 point try. The final score was 28–9, and Ohio State was 1–0, and on a fifteen game winning streak.

San Diego State Aztecs
Week 2 brought the Aztecs to Columbus. The two had met in Head Coach Jim Tressel's first season at Ohio State in 2001, a 27–12 victory. This time however, San Diego State's QB Matt Dlugolecki was determined to change this, and got the Aztecs rolling with an 11 yard TD pass to start the attack. The #2 ranked Buckeyes managed to add a field goal to make it 7–3 at the 9:54 mark. The Aztecs were marching until OSU cornerback Chris Gamble tipped a pass to Safety Will Allen, who went 100 yards coast-to-coast in setting the Ohio Stadium record for an interception return, and gave OSU a 10–7 lead. Another Mike Nugent field goal made it 13–7, it would stay that way on to half time.

Once again, Ohio State's opponent came out with new life after half time, and the Aztecs added a field goal early in the 3rd to make it 13–10 Buckeyes. But on a day when the OSU offense couldn't do much of anything, not even registering an offensive touchdown, they were able to tack on another Mike Nugent field goal in the 4th, to take a 16–10 advantage. San Diego State kept up the good fight, making it 16–13, but on the wheels of junior RB Maurice Hall(19 carries - 91 yards), OSU chewed up the clock, and held on for an ugly, 16th straight win.

NC State Wolfpack

 * Source: ESPN

For the second time in 2003, the 2nd ranked Buckeyes welcomed in a top 25 team, and this time it was the high powered offense of #22/24 ranked NC State. Questions floating around Columbus during the week had presided over the ineptitude of the Ohio State Offense. Senior QB Craig Krenzel had only completed 5 of 20 passes the previous week, and OSU had only managed 196 yards.

NC State had a loaded team featuring QB Phillip Rivers (1st Round NFL Draft Pick), RB T. A. McLendon, WR Jericho Cotchery (draft pick of the New York Jets), and offensive lineman Sean Locklear (selected by the Seattle Seahawks). On defense, though young, DE Mario Williams and DT John McCargo would both go on to be 1st round draft picks, with Williams going #1 overall. This Ohio State squad was loaded with future NFL stars however, and they were ready to prove they were up to task.

NC State started off struggling for every yard, and Ohio State drew first blood. Michael Jenkins got off to a great start, with a 44-yard touchdown off of a shallow drag (he ended up with 7 catches for 124 yards and 2 TDs) at the 4:13 mark of the first quarter. On the ensuing kickoff, the NC State returners collided with each other, and the ball bounced off a helmet of the returner. All American Will Allen recovered the ball on the 4-yard line, and Lydell Ross punched it in 3 plays later from 2 yards out, making it 14–0 with 2:47 left in the first quarter. Though the first quarter, NC State had managed just 5 yards off 15 plays. N.C. State finally got their offense untracked thanks to some tough running from the injured McLendon, who was questionable at the start of the game. Jericho Cotchery was wide open on an 11-yard scoring strike from Rivers just before halftime. OSU’s lead shrunk to 14–7.

NC State just couldn’t quite get untracked; thanks to Will Smith and the Buckeye’s defense constantly harassing Rivers. A Wolfpack turnover led to a 22 yard field goal for OSU in the third quarter. Ohio State appeared to be in complete control after Craig Krenzel scrambled 6 yards for Ohio State’s third touchdown of the day. With 11:26 left, the Wolfpack's time seemed to be running out. “The Chest” Chuck Amato had other ideas however, and two minutes later Ohio State turned the ball over. NC State would rip off 17 straight points, to tie it with 21 seconds remaining!

It was the first overtime game in Ohio Stadium, and would set the bar impossibly high for any future overtime contests. Ohio State had first possession, and Krenzel hit Sr. tight-end Ben Hartsock for a 10-yard score. Rivers would match the Buckeyes though, with his own 17-yard touchdown pass. The Wolfpack would start off on offense for the next series, and T. A. McLendon took a toss 2 yards to the end-zone to take a 38–31 lead. Freshman tight end Ryan Hamby first receiving touchdown as a Buckeye would bring the Buckeyes even at 38-all. “Mr. Clutch” Michael Jenkins caught a 7 yard bullet Krenzel squeezed between 2 N.C. State defenders to give OSU a 44–38 lead, after OSU’s two-point conversion was swatted down. N.C. State would march up to the 4 yard line, where some curious play calling began. On first down from the 4, Rivers took it up the middle on a QB sneak, and was stuffed for no gain. A second down pass was broken up by Jr. cornerback Chris Gamble, who just barely missed a game clinching pick. In a peculiar move, Rivers again went for a QB sneak from the same formation as their first down play, only to be stuffed again. It was 4th and game from the 4 yard line. NC State ran the same toss McLendon scored on the previous possession, but a bruising shoulder to the spinning running back placed the tailback firmly on his butt, inches from the goal line. It was as close as you could get, but once again, Will Allen, as he would do so many times during his Buckeye career, preserved Ohio Stat’s 17th victory, in what is the longest game in Ohio State history. It took 4 hours and 17 minutes, but after 3 overtime periods, Ohio State 44, North Carolina State 38.

Bowling Green State Falcons
A week 4 showdown was set between the #4 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes and the Bowling Green State University Falcons. Bowling Green had been built up quite a bit by former Head Coach Urban Meyer, and new Head Coach Gregg Brandon was looking to keep the team on track. With stars such as QB Josh Harris and center Scott Mruczkowski (both of whom would spend time in the NFL); the Falcons were primed to pick apart the Buckeyes. The game also featured two of the Nation’s best kickers in Shaun Suisham (BGSU) and Jr. Mike Nugent (OSU).

Starting QB Craig Krenzel would miss the contest from an elbow injury he suffered against N.C. State, and Sr. Quarterback Scott McMullen of Granvile, OH would lead the team for the first time since 2001(he played mop up duty for the Bucks in 2002). It would be the Buckeyes striking first as Scott McMullen sent a 7-yard strike to Sr. Drew Carter, and the Buckeyes had a 7–0 lead. Josh Harris matched McMullen’s TD with a 7 yard toss as well. Unfortunately for the Falcons, that would be their only score of the first half.

OSU built up a 17–7 halftime advantage with a 47-yard field goal by Mike Nugent, and added a touchdown after a crushing 33-yard run by Lydell Ross on 4th and 1. Ross and fellow running back Maurice Hall would combine for 201-yards on the day (Hall - 107 yards on 19 carries; Ross - 94 on 22).

Ross scored on a 3-yard run in the 4th, to give the Buckeyes a 24–7 lead, just as they had possessed the week before. And just as the week before, Bowling Green mounted a furious 4th quarter comeback, scoring a TD with 3:25 left to go, and a recovering the onside kick. A field goal at the end of that drive had OSU fans on the edge of their seats. OSU recovered but failed to run out the clock. It wouldn’t be until who-else-but Will Allen intercepted Harris final pass that the fans could relax. Ohio State had scored their 4th win of the season, and 18th straight.

Purdue

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Michigan

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Fiesta Bowl

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