Captains
Sonny Styles will wear the Block O; Caleb Downs, Brandon Inniss and Austin Siereveld join him as captains.
In just 14 days, the defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes will kick off their title defense against top-ranked Texas at the Horseshoe.
Flashback to 2003, and the Buckeyes were in a very similar position.
Jim Tressel’s squad prepared to defend its 2002 national championship with the looming threat of a ranked matchup against No. 17 Washington arriving on Aug. 30, the same date — albeit 22 years later — that Ryan Day’s title-defending team will take on Longhorns.
Coming off its first national championship in over 30 years, the Buckeyes still entered the 2003 season with a great deal of controversy. Ohio State was reeling from the multi-week suspension of running back Maurice Clarett, an instrumental piece of its 2002 title-winning team, which would later turn permanent.
Despite that setback, optimism in Columbus was high for the 2003 season, as the Buckeyes still returned several starters from their championship-winning team, including quarterback Craig Krenzel, wide receiver Michael Jenkins, two-way star Chris Gamble and linebacker A.J. Hawk, to name a few.
The Buckeyes faced quite the test in Week 1, welcoming No. 17 Washington to Ohio Stadium. Led by first-year head coach Keith Gilbertson, the Huskies entered the 2003 campaign with high expectations, despite going just 7-6 the year prior.
With All-American wide receiver Reggie Williams leading the way for the Husky offense and defensive back Derrick Johnson as a menacing threat for opposing quarterbacks, Washington boasted exceptional talent on both sides of the ball.
From the opening kickoff, however, it was clear that the Buckeyes had a distinct advantage over their foes from the Pacific Northwest.
After Ohio State and Washington’s opening offensive series both failed to net any points, the Buckeye offense got rolling on its second possession.
Set up by a 37-yard completion from Krenzel to wide receiver Drew Carter — his only reception of the game — running back Maurice Hall got the Buckeyes on the board with a two-yard plunge into the end zone, giving Ohio State its first points of the season.
After a Washington three-and-out, Ohio State’s offense went right back to work.
Spearheaded by a pair of completions to Jenkins, one for 12 yards and the other for 23 yards, Krenzel opted to take care of business himself, scrambling for a 23-yard touchdown to lift the Buckeyes to a two-score lead.
The Buckeyes struck one more time before the half, with Krenzel using his legs again for an 11-yard touchdown run with 22 seconds remaining in the second quarter to push the Ohio State lead to 21-0 at the break.
Washington finally got on the board during its opening drive of the second half, reaching the Ohio State 29-yard line before settling for a 46-yard field goal from kicker Evan Knudson.
Ohio State responded a few drives later, as running back Lydell Ross dashed through the teeth of the Washington defense for a 15-yard touchdown run to extend the Ohio State lead to 28-3.
The Buckeyes coasted from there, allowing only a garbage-time rushing touchdown to quarterback Cody Pickett, before claiming the 28-9 season-opening victory and starting their title defense off on the right foot.
Krenzel enjoyed a stellar performance, going 15-of-27 for 203 yards while adding 27 yards and two scores on the ground. Jenkins led Ohio State's receiving efforts, hauling in six catches for 80 yards, while Ross and Hall combined for 101 rushing yards.
After that win, Ohio State went on to finish the season 11-2, capped off by a Fiesta Bowl victory over Kansas State, while Washington floundered to a 6-6 record and missed out on a bowl appearance.
