Brett Ludwiczak
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Ohio State squared off with Kansas State for the first time in the 2004 Fiesta Bowl
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
The random Ohio State bowl victory that we are going to focus on today is the clash with Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl at the end of the 2003 season.
Much like in 2003, Ohio State will be defending their national championship in the 2025 season. Ryan Day and company are hoping for a season that doesn’t have quite as much drama as what Jim Tressel’s team faced heading into the 2003 season.
Despite having to deal with a lot on and off the field, Ohio State still put together a very strong campaign in 2003, with their season coming to a close in the same place that it did just 12 months before, although the stakes weren’t quite as high as their trip to Tempe to take on Miami at the beginning of 2003.
Heading into the 2003 season, there were plenty of questions surrounding the status of running back Maurice Clarett. After starring for the Buckeyes as a freshman in 2002, Clarett was at the center of not only an academic cheating scandal, but allegations of improper benefits.
Even though Clarett wasn’t officially suspended for Ohio State’s first two games of the season, on Sept. 10 the running back from Youngstown was suspended for the rest of the season. Following the 2003 Fiesta Bowl against Miami, Clarett would never suit up for another game for the Buckeyes.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25960615/2821276.jpg "Purdue v Ohio State")
Photo by David Maxwell/Getty Images
Without Clarett, Ohio State wasn’t quite as strong running the football as they were in 2002. That doesn’t mean Tressel didn’t work his running backs, as Lydell Ross and Maurice Hall combined to rush for over 1,100 yards and 11 scores. The Buckeyes benefited from having an experienced quarterback behind center in Craig Krenzel.
The passing game opened up a little more in 2003 with Krenzel having receivers Michael Jenkins and Santonio Holmes at his disposal. Jenkins finished the season with 55 catches for 834 yards and seven touchdowns, while Holmes added 32 receptions for 549 yards and seven scores.
Despite missing their starting running back, Ohio State started off the season with a win over Washington in Columbus in a battle between ranked teams. Included in their five straight wins to open up the 2003 season was a triple overtime thriller against Philip Rivers and NC State, with the Buckeyes earning a 44-38 win at home.
The first setback for Tressel since the 2002 Outback Bowl came in October against Wisconsin. The Badgers were able to top Ohio State 17-10 in Madison.
At least the Buckeyes were able to bounce back quickly from the loss to Wisconsin, returning home to beat Iowa, who was ranked ninth in the country at the time, 19-10 the following Saturday. The victory over the Hawkeyes sparked a five-game winning streak for Ohio State, which included wins at home over ranked Michigan State and Purdue squads.
Unfortunately, the Buckeyes would close out the regular season by suffering one of Tressel’s few losses to Michigan, as the Wolverines beat Ohio State 35-21 in Ann Arbor in the 100th meeting all-time between the rivals.
When the dust settled on the announcement of the bowl schedule, Ohio State found out they would be making the trip to Tempe for the second year in a row, this time to take on the Kansas State Wildcats, marking the first time the two programs have squared off on the football field.
Following an 11-2 season in 2002, capped off by a victory in the Holiday Bowl over Arizona State, Kansas State again reached double digits in the win column, entering the Fiesta Bowl with an 11-3 record.
Bill Snyder’s 15th season in charge in Manhattan was a bit of an odd ride. The Wildcats opened up the season at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, winning the BCA Classic against Cal, sparking a four-game winning streak to start the season. Then in the middle of the year Kansas State lost three straight games to Marshall, Texas, and Oklahoma State by a combined 15 points.
The Wildcats rebounded from the losing streak to win their final seven games of the season, capped off by a 35-7 destruction over top-ranked Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium. The conference championship was the first since 1934 for the Kansas State football program.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25960617/2789869.jpg "Kansas State v Oklahoma")
Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images
Powering the Wildcats was a dominant combination on the ground of running back Darren Sproles and quarterback Eli Roberson. Sproles was fifth in Heisman Trophy voting, finishing the season with 1,986 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns. Roberson added 15 scores and 975 yards rushing to go along with 2,545 yards through the air and 24 passing touchdowns.
The Kansas State quarterback did enter the Fiesta Bowl with a major distraction though, as he was accused of sexual assault the night before the game, but he would end up starting for the Wildcats. No charges were ever filed against Roberson in response to the allegations.
Early on in the Fiesta Bowl it looked like Kansas State was focusing on everything but a football game. Ohio State jumped out to an early lead when John Hollins returned a blocked punt for a touchdown, followed by Santonio Holmes hauling in a six-yard pass from Craig Krenzel for a touchdown to push Ohio State’s lead to 14-0 with just under three minutes left in the first quarter.
The Buckeyes would add to their advantage when Krenzel found Michael Jenkins from 17 yards out to increase the lead to 21-0 with 6:49 left in the second quarter. Sproles would cut into the lead before half when his rushing touchdown sent the Wildcats into the break trailing 21-7.
After halftime, Kansas State quarterback Eli Roberson started to find his rhythm. Roberson was able to pull the Wildcats within a score when his 14-yard touchdown run with 8:59 left in the third quarter made the score 21-14. Kansas State’s defense couldn’t contribute to the comeback effort, though. Krenzel found Jenkins for an 8-yard touchdown with 4:53 left in the third quarter, followed by a 31-yard receiving touchdown for Santonio Holmes just before the end of the quarter to push the lead to 35-14.
The Wildcats would make Buckeye Nation sweat a bit in the final quarter when Ayo Saba scored early in the quarter, and Roberson rushed for his second touchdown of the game with just under three left in the contest to close the gap to 35-28 before running out of time.
Ohio State was able to use their big early lead, as well as strong defensive contributions from A.J. Hawk, Will Smith, and others to hold Kansas State to just 84 yards rushing in the game, well below their season average.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25960618/2953033.jpg "Kansas State v Ohio State")
Both programs fell short of expectations in the 2004 season. Kansas State failed to qualify for a bowl game, posting a 4-7 record. Ohio State took a while to get their offense going without starting quarterback Craig Krenzel in 2004, winning just eight games in a season that ended with an Alamo Bowl victory over Oklahoma State.
Even though the 2004 season wasn’t one of the more memorable campaigns in history, it set the table for a strong 2005 season, which was followed by a trip to the BCS National Championship Game in 2006.
Starting with the trip to Tempe for the 2003 Fiesta Bowl against Miami, Ohio State would play in four Fiesta Bowls between 2003 and 2009, winning three of those contests. The Buckeyes have played in nine Fiesta Bowl games overall, winning five of them.
Currently, Ohio State has a two-game losing streak in Fiesta Bowl games, with both of those losses coming to the Clemson Tigers. The contest with the Wildcats at the end of the 2003 season remains the only time the two programs have met.
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Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
The random Ohio State bowl victory that we are going to focus on today is the clash with Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl at the end of the 2003 season.
Much like in 2003, Ohio State will be defending their national championship in the 2025 season. Ryan Day and company are hoping for a season that doesn’t have quite as much drama as what Jim Tressel’s team faced heading into the 2003 season.
Despite having to deal with a lot on and off the field, Ohio State still put together a very strong campaign in 2003, with their season coming to a close in the same place that it did just 12 months before, although the stakes weren’t quite as high as their trip to Tempe to take on Miami at the beginning of 2003.
Heading into the 2003 season, there were plenty of questions surrounding the status of running back Maurice Clarett. After starring for the Buckeyes as a freshman in 2002, Clarett was at the center of not only an academic cheating scandal, but allegations of improper benefits.
Even though Clarett wasn’t officially suspended for Ohio State’s first two games of the season, on Sept. 10 the running back from Youngstown was suspended for the rest of the season. Following the 2003 Fiesta Bowl against Miami, Clarett would never suit up for another game for the Buckeyes.
Without Clarett, Ohio State wasn’t quite as strong running the football as they were in 2002. That doesn’t mean Tressel didn’t work his running backs, as Lydell Ross and Maurice Hall combined to rush for over 1,100 yards and 11 scores. The Buckeyes benefited from having an experienced quarterback behind center in Craig Krenzel.
The passing game opened up a little more in 2003 with Krenzel having receivers Michael Jenkins and Santonio Holmes at his disposal. Jenkins finished the season with 55 catches for 834 yards and seven touchdowns, while Holmes added 32 receptions for 549 yards and seven scores.
Despite missing their starting running back, Ohio State started off the season with a win over Washington in Columbus in a battle between ranked teams. Included in their five straight wins to open up the 2003 season was a triple overtime thriller against Philip Rivers and NC State, with the Buckeyes earning a 44-38 win at home.
The first setback for Tressel since the 2002 Outback Bowl came in October against Wisconsin. The Badgers were able to top Ohio State 17-10 in Madison.
At least the Buckeyes were able to bounce back quickly from the loss to Wisconsin, returning home to beat Iowa, who was ranked ninth in the country at the time, 19-10 the following Saturday. The victory over the Hawkeyes sparked a five-game winning streak for Ohio State, which included wins at home over ranked Michigan State and Purdue squads.
Unfortunately, the Buckeyes would close out the regular season by suffering one of Tressel’s few losses to Michigan, as the Wolverines beat Ohio State 35-21 in Ann Arbor in the 100th meeting all-time between the rivals.
When the dust settled on the announcement of the bowl schedule, Ohio State found out they would be making the trip to Tempe for the second year in a row, this time to take on the Kansas State Wildcats, marking the first time the two programs have squared off on the football field.
Following an 11-2 season in 2002, capped off by a victory in the Holiday Bowl over Arizona State, Kansas State again reached double digits in the win column, entering the Fiesta Bowl with an 11-3 record.
Bill Snyder’s 15th season in charge in Manhattan was a bit of an odd ride. The Wildcats opened up the season at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, winning the BCA Classic against Cal, sparking a four-game winning streak to start the season. Then in the middle of the year Kansas State lost three straight games to Marshall, Texas, and Oklahoma State by a combined 15 points.
The Wildcats rebounded from the losing streak to win their final seven games of the season, capped off by a 35-7 destruction over top-ranked Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium. The conference championship was the first since 1934 for the Kansas State football program.
Powering the Wildcats was a dominant combination on the ground of running back Darren Sproles and quarterback Eli Roberson. Sproles was fifth in Heisman Trophy voting, finishing the season with 1,986 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns. Roberson added 15 scores and 975 yards rushing to go along with 2,545 yards through the air and 24 passing touchdowns.
The Kansas State quarterback did enter the Fiesta Bowl with a major distraction though, as he was accused of sexual assault the night before the game, but he would end up starting for the Wildcats. No charges were ever filed against Roberson in response to the allegations.
Early on in the Fiesta Bowl it looked like Kansas State was focusing on everything but a football game. Ohio State jumped out to an early lead when John Hollins returned a blocked punt for a touchdown, followed by Santonio Holmes hauling in a six-yard pass from Craig Krenzel for a touchdown to push Ohio State’s lead to 14-0 with just under three minutes left in the first quarter.
The Buckeyes would add to their advantage when Krenzel found Michael Jenkins from 17 yards out to increase the lead to 21-0 with 6:49 left in the second quarter. Sproles would cut into the lead before half when his rushing touchdown sent the Wildcats into the break trailing 21-7.
After halftime, Kansas State quarterback Eli Roberson started to find his rhythm. Roberson was able to pull the Wildcats within a score when his 14-yard touchdown run with 8:59 left in the third quarter made the score 21-14. Kansas State’s defense couldn’t contribute to the comeback effort, though. Krenzel found Jenkins for an 8-yard touchdown with 4:53 left in the third quarter, followed by a 31-yard receiving touchdown for Santonio Holmes just before the end of the quarter to push the lead to 35-14.
The Wildcats would make Buckeye Nation sweat a bit in the final quarter when Ayo Saba scored early in the quarter, and Roberson rushed for his second touchdown of the game with just under three left in the contest to close the gap to 35-28 before running out of time.
Ohio State was able to use their big early lead, as well as strong defensive contributions from A.J. Hawk, Will Smith, and others to hold Kansas State to just 84 yards rushing in the game, well below their season average.
Both programs fell short of expectations in the 2004 season. Kansas State failed to qualify for a bowl game, posting a 4-7 record. Ohio State took a while to get their offense going without starting quarterback Craig Krenzel in 2004, winning just eight games in a season that ended with an Alamo Bowl victory over Oklahoma State.
Even though the 2004 season wasn’t one of the more memorable campaigns in history, it set the table for a strong 2005 season, which was followed by a trip to the BCS National Championship Game in 2006.
Starting with the trip to Tempe for the 2003 Fiesta Bowl against Miami, Ohio State would play in four Fiesta Bowls between 2003 and 2009, winning three of those contests. The Buckeyes have played in nine Fiesta Bowl games overall, winning five of them.
Currently, Ohio State has a two-game losing streak in Fiesta Bowl games, with both of those losses coming to the Clemson Tigers. The contest with the Wildcats at the end of the 2003 season remains the only time the two programs have met.
Continue reading...