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The 2002 National Championship Season of the Ohio State Buckeyes Football Team including stats, schedule results, 2003 Fiesta Bowl, championship game recap versus Miami, play by play, final national rankings and more.

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The Ohio State University 
Buckeyes Win!
Ohio State Buckeyes 2002 National Champions
The Ohio State University

 
Ohio State 31, Miami 24 (2OT)

January 3, 2003 Fiesta Bowl

First OT National Title Game

 
Ohio State's Jim Tressel with national championship trophy after winning the BCS Title Game against the Miami Hurricanes in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl in Tempe Arizona  Ohio State Head Coach Jim Tressel and players celebrate after winning the 2002 National Championship in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, the BCS Title Game

"Tressel used the ploy to spur his players to get into proper physical condition. Little did he know. Little did anyone know that the Buckeyes would stop two streaks at 34: Miami's consecutive victories, and Ohio State's seasons since it last finished No. 1. The Buckeyes did it by beating Miami on three "last plays..." Read the entire column by Ivan Maisel, from ESPN.com: Last play is the biggest play for Buckeyes.





Ohio State vs Miami 2002 National Championship Game biggest plays



 
OSU Buckeyes
2003 Fiesta Bowl Ohio State vs. Miami Scoring Summary & Complete Stats
OSU Buckeyes


OSU Buckeyes
2003 Fiesta Bowl Ohio State vs. Miami Game Play-by-Play
OSU Buckeyes

 
Terry Bowden

Terry Bowden, one of few prognosticators who thought OSU would prevail, wrote in a Special to ABC Sports Online: Ohio State was clearly the best team


 
College Football News Liked The Buckeyes Too...
2003 Fiesta Bowl Preview Ohio State vs. Miami from College Football News.com

 

 
Ohio State's Cie Grant hits Miami's Ken Dorsey on the final play of the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, it was The Final Dagger
Final play: Cie Grant hits Miami's Ken Dorsey causing
a wild pass that was knocked down by Matt Wilhelm.   

Ohio State quarterback Craig Krenzel led the Buckeyes to victory in the 2003 BCS Title Game against Miami in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl
All of the pregame talk centered
on Dorsey, but it was Craig Krenzel
who lifted his team to victory.

 

Holding On Gamble
Miami DB Glenn Sharpe hits Ohio State's Chris Gamble as a ref looks on at the controversial play.  

The Call? Tom Orr says "Are you kidding me?

"Shhhhhh! Point your ears to the south and listen very faintly. If the wind's not too loud, and there's not too much auto traffic near your vantage point, you might just be able to make out a very faint noise. It sounds a lot like a baby crying...

"Yes, Miami Hurricane fans are talking about the pass interference call again..."

Read the entire column by Tom Orr at The O-Zone: The Call? How About the Calls?.

View a few of the plays where the refs should have made calls-and they were very obvious-and they didn't. Click HERE to see for yourself.
 

The Call? It was the right call; see the photos. How about all of the calls that were not made. See photos and video.

 


What Did the Nation Think...About The Call?

Did game officials make the right call in flagging Miami's Glenn Sharpe for pass interference in the end zone during overtime in the Fiesta Bowl? Well, as of January 12, 82,821 voters responded to that by voting in a USA Today online poll. The results:


 64.35%
Yes

 35.65%
No
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spacerSome Articles on the 2003 Fiesta Bowl:

spacerUpon further review: 'Canes interference call looks right
spacerMiami players unprepared for unfamiliar sting of defeat
spacerCommentary: At the moment of truth, Miami blinked
spacerCommentary: Interference call scapegoat for media
spacerCommentary: It was the best championship game ever


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OSU Defense Stops the 'Canes Again!
Dorsey on Knees
QB Ken Dorsey on his knees after the Bucks
stop Miami on the game's last play.
Dorsey Consoled
Dorsey Consoled
Dorsey is consoled by a Buckeye on the field
after the game as the Buckeyes celebrate.

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Kirk Herbstreit and Eddie George Celebrate On The Sideline!



 
2002 OSU Roster

Quarterbacks

  •  9 Justin Zwick - Fr.
  • 10 Troy Smith - Fr.
  • 15 Scott McMullen - Jr.
  • 16 Craig Krenzel - Jr.
  • 18 Jim Otis- Soph.
  • 24 Matt Trombitas - Fr.
  • Running Backs

  • 13 Maurice Clarett - Fr.
  • 20 Roshawn Parker - Soph.
  • 28 Maurice Hall - Soph.
  • 30 Lydell Ross - Soph.
  • 34 JaJa Riley - Fr.
  • 36 Michael DeMaria - Soph.
  • Fullbacks

  • 33 Nate Stead - Jr.
  • 38 Brandon Joe - Soph.
  • 43 Brandon Schnittker - Fr.
  • 48 Jack Tucker - Sr.
  • 49 John Adams - Soph.
  • Wide Receivers

  •  3 Bam Childress - Soph.
  •  4 Chris Vance - Sr.
  •  7 Chris Gamble - Soph.
  •  8 Drew Carter - Jr.
  • 11 Mike Young - Soph.
  • 12 Michael Jenkins - Jr.
  • 14 Angelo Chattams - Soph.
  • 17 Santonio Holmes - Fr.
  • 23 Scott Petroff- Jr.
  • 37 Jamal Luke - Jr.
  • 82 Roy Hall - Fr.
  • 84 John Hollins - Soph.
  • 86 Maurice Lee - Jr.
  • Tight Ends

  • 80 Ryan Hamby - Fr.
  • 81 R.J. Coleman - Fr.
  • 83 Reggie Arden - Fr.
  • 87 Jason Caldwell - Soph.
  • 88 Ben Hartsock - Jr.
  • 96 David Andrews - Soph.
  •  

    Offensive line

  • 50 Michael Stafford - Sr.
  • 51 Mike Bogart - Jr.
  • 52 Mike Kne - Jr.
  • 53 Ivan Douglas - Jr.
  • 55 Nick Mangold - Fr.
  • 59 John Conroy - Fr.
  • 61 Ben Nash - Fr.
  • 62 John McLaughlin - Soph.
  • 63 Adrien Clarke - Jr.
  • 64 Adam Olds - Fr.
  • 66 Doug Datish - Fr.
  • 69 Andree Tyree - Fr.
  • 70 Scott Kuhnhein - Sr.
  • 71 Shane Olivea - Jr.
  • 72 T.J. Downing - Fr.
  • 73 Steve Winner - Fr.
  • 76 Alex Stepanovich - Jr.
  • 77 Rob Sims - Fr.
  • 78 Bryce Bishop - Jr.
  • 79 Ryan Cook - Fr.

  • Defensive Line

  • 54 Tim Anderson - Jr.
  • 56 Darrion Scott - Jr.
  • 57 Mike Kudla - Fr.
  • 65 Steve Graef - Soph.
  • 74 Bryce Culver - Soph.
  • 75 Simon Fraser - Soph.
  • 90 Quinn Pitcock - Fr.
  • 92 Tim Schafer - Fr.
  • 93 Will Smith - Jr.
  • 94 Marcus Green - Fr.
  • 95 David Thompson - Sr.
  • 97 Kenny Peterson - Sr.
  • 98 Joel Penton - Fr.
  • 99 Jay Richardson - Fr.
  •  

    Linebackers

  •  5 Mike D'Andrea - Fr.
  •  6 Cie Grant - Sr.
  • 35 Matt Wilhelm - Sr.
  • 36 Pat O'Neill - Jr.
  • 42 Bobby Carpenter - Fr.
  • 44 Robert Reynolds - Jr.
  • 46 Fred Pagac Jr. - Jr.
  • 47 A. J. Hawk - Fr.
  • 50 Marcellus Smith- Fr.
  • 58 Joe Bradley - Fr.
  • 89 Stan White Jr. - Fr.
  • 91 Jason Bond - Jr.
  • Defensive backs

  •  1 Bobby Britton - Jr.
  •  2 Mike Doss - Sr.
  •  3 Steven Moore - Soph.
  •  4 Rob Harley - Soph.
  • 11 Richard McNutt - Jr.
  • 13 Harlen Jacobs - Soph.
  • 14 Antonio Smith - Fr.
  • 17 Jermaine Guinyard - Soph.
  • 19 LeAndre Boone - Fr.
  • 20 Chris Conwell - Sr.
  • 21 Nate Salley - Fr.
  • 24 Mike Roberts- Fr.
  • 25 Donnie Nickey - Sr.
  • 26 Will Allen - Jr.
  • 32 Brandon Mitchell - Fr.
  • 33 Tyler Everett - Fr.
  • 37 Dustin Fox - Soph.
  • 41 Thomas Matthews - Soph.
  • 49 E.J. Underwood - Fr.
  • Punters

  • 18 Andy Groom - Sr. (also PK holder)
  • 21 B.J. Sander - Jr. (also PK Holder)
  • Kickers

  •  5 Jeremy Uhlenhake - Sr.
  • 23 Josh Huston - Soph. (also punter)
  • 85 Mike Nugent - Soph.
  • Long Snappers

  • 60 Kyle Andrews - Soph.
  • 62 Jeremy Miller - Jr.
  • 67 Kurt Wilhelm - Soph.
  • Coaching Staff

  • Jim Tressel - Head Coach - 2nd year
  • Jim Bollman - Offensive Coordinator/Offensive line coach - 2nd year
  • Mark Dantonio - Defensive Coordinator - 2nd year
  • Joe Daniels - Quarterbacks/Receivers coach - 2nd year
  • Mark Snyder - Linebackers coach - 2nd year
  • Jim Heacock - Defensive line coach - 7th year
  • Bill Conley - Recruiting Coordinator/Tight ends coach - 12th year
  • Tim Spencer - Running backs coach - 1st year
  • Luke Fickell - Special teams coordinator - 1st year
  • Mel Tucker - Defensive backs coach - 1st year



  •  
    Take the 2003 Fiesta Bowl Trivia Quiz 
    Take the 2003 Fiesta Bowl Trivia Quiz
      Ohio State Buckeyes 2002 National Champions

    From "100 Greatest Finishes"...'The greatest endings in college football history from 1970 to the present'

    No. 9 Ohio State 31 ... Miami 24 OT, Fiesta Bowl January 3, 2003
    At the time: Defending national champion Miami was 12-0 and the heavy favorites in the national championship against a 13-0 Ohio State team that wasn't always dominant, but always found a way to win.

    The setup: After taking a 7-0 lead on a Ken Dorsey strike to Roscoe Parrish, it appeared that Miami was on its way to an easy win as the Buckeyes didn't get a first down until late in the first quarter. The Buckeyes finally got moving midway through the second quarter. After OSU quarterback Craig Krenzel was stuffed on third down on the goal line, head coach Jim Tressel had his first really big decision of the game. He went for it and Krenzel was barely able to get in to tie it at seven. The Buckeyes kept the Canes on their heels in the second half, but after a 57-yard pass play to Chris Gamble, disaster almost struck. Miami's Sean Taylor made a big play preventing an Ohio State touchdown with an interception, but OSU RB Maurice Clarett was able to catch up and rip the ball away from behind to give the Buckeyes the ball back leading to a 44-yard Mike Nugent field goal for a 17-7 lead. Miami star RB Willis McGahee was getting warmed up blowing past the tiring Buckeye front seven, but just as it looked like he'd take the game over, he suffered a blown out knee and was lost for the game. Miami couldn't seem to catch a break as Todd Sievers just missed a 54-yard field goal that would've tied things. However, Ohio State's offense couldn't find a way to run out the clock giving Dorsey had one last drive for a national title set up by a long punt return by Roscoe Parrish. Dorsey got his Canes into position and Sievers came through putting the game into overtime with a 40-yard field goal.

    The ending: The Canes scored on a seven-yard touchdown pass to TE Kellen Winslow on their first overtime possession. Miami appeared to have the national championship won when Glenn Sharpe broke up a Krenzel pass in the end zone on fourth down, but he was nailed with a controversial pass interference call to keep the game alive. Krenzel punched it in for a one-yard TD run to force a second overtime. Maurice Clarett scored on a five-yard touchdown run on OSU's possession in the second overtime for a 31-24 lead. On Miami's turn, Dorsey got his bell rung and had to come out on the biggest drive of the year. After a few time outs to try and clear the star quarterback's head, Dorsey was able to come back in and completed a perfect fourth down pass to Winslow to keep the season alive. With first and goal on the six, the Buckeyes got nailed with a pass interference call on Chris Gamble to give the Canes first and goal from the one. Jarrett Payton was stopped. Second and goal. Dorsey couldn't connect with a wide-open Eric Winston. Third and goal. Stopped. Fourth and the national title from the one. Ohio State got pressure on Dorsey forcing a prayer that went nowhere, and the Buckeyes had the national title.

    How they ended up: Ohio State finished 14-0 and won the national title in both polls. Miami finished second


     
    Click below for...
    2002 Schedule, Results & Statistics

     
     
    Final NCAA Division I-A
    ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll

    The USA TODAY/ESPN Coaches Top 25 college football coaches' poll, with number of first-place votes and record in parentheses, total points, previous ranking and last game results:

    RANK TEAM RECORD PTS PVS
    1.Ohio State (61)14-01,5252
    OSU  OSU      Last game:  Def. No. 1 Miami 31-24     (Jan. 3)  OSU  OSU
    2.Miami 12-11,4511
     Last game:  Lost to No. 2 Ohio State 31-24 (Jan. 3)
    3.Georgia 13-11,3784
     Last game:  Def. No. 16 Florida State 26-13 (Jan. 1)
    4.USC 11-21,3625
     Last game:  Def. No. 3 Iowa 38-17(Jan. 2)
    5.Oklahoma 12-21,2448
     Last game:  Def. No. 7 Washington State 34-14 (Jan. 1)
    6.Kansas State 11-21,2306
     Last game:  Def. Arizona State 34-27(Dec. 27)
    7.Texas 11-21,1409
     Last game:  Def. No. 25 LSU 35-20(Jan. 1)
    8.Iowa 11-21,1053
     Last game:  Lost to No. 5 USC 38-17(Jan. 2)
    9.Michigan 10-31,01111
     Last game:  Def. No. 20 Florida 38-30(Jan. 1)
    10.Washington State10-39327
     Last game:  Lost to No. 8 Oklahoma 34-14(Jan. 1)
    11.N.C. State 11-387617
     Last game:  Def. No. 12 Notre Dame 28-6(Jan. 1)
    12.Boise State12-180815
     Last game:  Def. Iowa State 34-16 (Dec. 31)
    13.Maryland 11-380318
     Last game:  Def. Tennessee 30-3 (Dec. 31)
    14.Virginia Tech 10-464419
     Last game:  Def. Air Force 20-13(Dec. 31)
    15.Penn State 9-461910
     Last game:  Lost to No. 22 Auburn 13-9(Jan. 1)
    16.Auburn 9-457922
     Last game:  Def. No. 10 Penn State 13-9 (Jan. 1)
    17.Notre Dame 10-352512
     Last game:  Lost to No. 17 N.C. State 28-6(Jan. 1)
    18.Pittsburgh 9-448623
     Last game:  Def. Oregon State 38-13(Dec. 26)
    19.Marshall 11-233324
     Last game:  Def. Louisville 38-15 (Dec. 18)
    20.West Virginia9-429713
     Last game:  Lost to Virginia 48-22(Dec. 28)
    21.Colorado 9-529114
     Last game:  Lost to Wisconsin 31-28(Dec. 28)
    22.TCU 10-2274NR
     Last game:  Def. No. 21 Colorado State 17-3(Dec. 31)
    23.Florida State9-521916
     Last game:  Lost to No. 4 Georgia 26-13(Jan. 1)
    24.Florida 8-514520
     Last game:  Lost to No. 11 Michigan 38-30 (Jan. 1)
    25.Virginia 9-5141NR
     Last game:  Def. No. 13 West Virginia 48-22 (Dec. 28)

     
    Final AP Top 25

    The final Associated Press Top 25 college football poll, with number of first-place votes and record in parentheses, total points and previous ranking:

    TEAM PTS PVS
    1. OHIO ST (71) (14-0)1,775   2
    2. MIAMI FLA (12-1)1,693  1
    3. GEORGIA (13-1)1,598  4
    4. USC (11-2)1,590  5
    5. OKLAHOMA (12-2)1,476  8
    6. TEXAS (11-2)1,363  9
    7. KANSAS ST (11-2)1,356  6
    8. IOWA (11-2)1,334  3
    9. MICHIGAN (10-3) 1,182  12
    10. WASHINGTON ST (10-3)1,085  7
    11. ALABAMA (10-3)988  13
    12. NO CAROLINA ST (11-3)943  17
    13. MARYLAND (11-3)844  20
    14. AUBURN (9-4)821  19
    15. BOISE ST (12-1)692  18
    16. PENN ST (9-4)675  10
    17. NOTRE DAME (10-3)657  11
    18. VIRGINIA TECH (10-4)544  21
    19. PITTSBURGH (9-4)520  24
    20. COLORADO (9-5)307  14
    21. FLORIDA ST (9-5)291  16
    22. VIRGINIA (9-5)250  NR
    23. TCU (10-2)231  NR
    24. MARSHALL (11-2)201  NR
    25. WEST VIRGINIA (9-4)195  15
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