| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 4 Ohio State | 10 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 19 |
| Wisconsin | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
Not looking good after the third quarter.
BACKGROUND
The Buckeyes entered this game with a 7-0 record and were coming off of a 50-7 butt-whooping of San Jose State in Columbus. The biggest wins to this point of the season were the 25-7 win over No. 10 Washington State and the 23-19 escape at Cincinnati.
Ohio State wanted to continue its perfect season against Wisconsin. This was Ohio State's second road game of the season.
Wisconsin was led by quarterback Brooks Bollinger and running back Anthony Davis. The Badgers came into this game with a 5-2 record. Wisconsin had just lost to Indiana (29-32) and Penn State (31-34).rbor. The Badgers finished 8th in the Big Ten (2-6) and 8-6 overall.
Maurice Clarett had another 100+ yard game.
OHIO STATE PLAYERS
- Maurice Clarett ran for a team-high 133 yards (4.4 ypc). Clarett carried the ball a game-high 30 times.
- Craig Krenzel completed 12/19 passes for 204 yards and 2 touchdowns. Krenzel aslo had 10 carries for 24 yards.
- Michael Jenkins had a game-high 5 receptions for 114yards (22.8 ypr) and a touchdown.
- Ben Hartsock made 3 receptions for 13 yards and a touchdown.
- Chris Gamble intercepted a Sorgi pass in the endzone in the fourth quarter.
- Mike Doss recovered a fumble that led to a Mike Nugent field goal.
Starting quarterback Brooks Bollinger had to leave the game with a concussion.
WISCONSIN PLAYERS
- Jim Sorgi completed 7/15 passes for 137 yards a touchdown and an interception after filling in for Bollinger who left the game with a concussion.
- Anthony Davis led all players with 144 rushing yards (5.8 ypc). Davis had a rushing touchdown.
- Jonathan Orr led the Badgers with 107 receiving yards (26.8 ypr) and a touchdown.
Barry Alvarez.
KEY PLAY
Barry Alvarez said this after the game:
I thought the key play of the game was 3rd and 7 in the fourth quarter. They really hadn't done much for a quarter and a half and the ball was in the air. We had two guys in position, no one made a play on the ball and they made a big completion and were able to go down and score.
Storybook season.
THE REST OF THE STORY
The win over Wisconsin avenged the 17-20 loss the Buckeyes suffered in Columbus the year before. Ohio State would go on to win the next five Big Ten games, the Big Ten title and finish the regular season 13-0.
The 2nd ranked Buckeyes defeated No. 1 Miami 31-24 in OT to win the 2003 Fiesta Bowl National Championship Game.
Wisconsin's season ended with a 31-28 OT victory of 14th ranked Colorado in the Alamo Bowl.
QUOTABLE
After the game Tressel said:
We just felt like we had to strike with some big ones if we were going to have a chance to beat them...It was good to see Mike (Jenkins) come up with a couple of big plays.
Jim Tressel on Chris Gamble:
He catches things better than most people, it does not matter if it was intended for him or if he was covering the guy. He can go up and catch the football...He is just outrunning athletes and you wish you could play him all the time.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
The Series History
The Rundown
The Urban Meyer Effect: Ohio State
