2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
| 2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football | |
|---|---|
Consensus national champion Big Ten co-champion Fiesta Bowl champion | |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 1 |
| AP | No. 1 |
| Record | 14–0 (8–0 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Jim Bollman (2nd season) |
| Offensive scheme | Multiple |
| Defensive coordinator | Mark Dantonio (2nd season) |
| Base defense | 4–3 |
| MVPs | |
| Home stadium | Ohio Stadium (Capacity: 101,568) |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 Ohio State $#+ | 8 | – | 0 | 14 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 Iowa %+ | 8 | – | 0 | 11 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 9 Michigan | 6 | – | 2 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 16 Penn State | 5 | – | 3 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 4 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 4 | – | 4 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 3 | – | 5 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 2 | – | 6 | 8 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State | 2 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 1 | – | 7 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 1 | – | 7 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football team was an American football team that represented the Ohio State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their second year under head coach Jim Tressel, the Buckeyes compiled a perfect 14–0 record (8–0 in conference games), won the Big Ten and national championships, and outscored opponents by a total of 410 to 183. Against ranked opponents, the Buckeyes defeated No. 10 Washington State, No. 18 Penn State, No. 23 Minnesota, and No. 12 Michigan. They concluded the season with a 31–24 double-overtime victory over No. 1 Miami (FL) in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, which was also the BCS National Championship Game. It was Ohio State's first consensus national championship since 1968.
The Buckeyes gained an average of 191.3 rushing yards and 173.2 passing yards per game. On defense, they gave up 77.7 rushing yards and 243.1 passing yards per game. The team's statistical leaders included junior quarterback Craig Krenzel (2,110 passing yards, 59.4% completion percentage), freshman tailback Maurice Clarett (1,237 rushing yards, 5.6 yards per carry), wide receiver Michael Jenkins (61 receptions for 1,076 yards), and kicker Mike Nugent (120 points scored, 45 of 46 extra points, 25 of 28 field goals). Three Ohio State players were consensus first-team All-Americans: Nugent; linebacker Matt Wilhelm; and safety Mike Doss. Seven Ohio State players received first-team honors on the 2002 All-Big Ten Conference football team: Clarett; Wilhelm; Doss; Nugent; defensive end Darrion Scott; cornerback Chris Gamble; and punter Andy Groom.
The team played its home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.