The 2003 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented Ohio State University in the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team's head coach was Jim Tressel. The Buckeyes played their home games in Ohio Stadium. Ohio State finished the season with an overall record of 11–2 and placed second in the Big Ten Conference with mark of 6–2. The Buckeyes concluded their season with a victory over Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl.
Schedule
Roster
Game summaries
Washington
Source:
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 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 15-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
Week 2 brought the Aztecs to Columbus. The two teams 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 the outcome, and got the Aztecs rolling with an 11-yard touchdown 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 again marching until OSU cornerback Chris Gamble tipped a pass to safety Will Allen, who went 100 yards coast-to-coast in doing so, set 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
Source: ESPN
For the second time in 2003, the 2nd ranked Buckeyes welcomed in a Top 25 team. This time it was the high powered offense of #22/24 ranked North Carolina State. Questions floating around Columbus during the week had presided over the ineptitude of the Ohio State offense. Senior QB Craig Krenzel had completed just 5 of 20 pass attempts the week prior, and OSU had only managed 196 yards.
NC State had a loaded team featuring QB Philip Rivers (1st Round NFL Draft Pick), RB T. A. McLendon, WR Jerricho 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.