Courtesy: OhioStateBuckeyes.com

Buckeyes Jump On Kent State Early, Win 51-17

The Buckeyes jumped out to a 21-0 lead at the end of the first quarter and were ahead 38-0 with 7:31 to play in the first half on the way to a 51-17 thrashing of Kent State.
Two of OSU’s first four touchdowns came courtesy of the defense, strong safety Michael Doss and freshman linebacker A.J. Hawk each returning interceptions for scores. Doss made it 14-0 with his 45-yard return and Hawk upped the ante to 38-0 with his 34-yard scamper. Freshman tailback Maurice Clarett tallied the other two OSU scores, the first on a 2-yard run and the latter on a 7-yard pass from Craig Krenzel. It was OSU’s first TD pass of the year. kent-state-2002.jpg

The Buckeyes rolled up 412 yards in total offense and averaged 8.8 yards per play on the way to topping the 50-point mark for the first time in 73 games. Krenzel completed 12 of 14 passes for 190 yards and backup Scott McMullen hit 7 of 11 for 78 yards and a TD. Sophomore flanker Chris Gamble was on the receiving end of six of those passes and finished with 87 yards receiving. Split end Michael Jenkins had four catches for 89 yards. Eight different receivers had receptions for the Buckeyes, thanks in large part to another stellar effort by the offensive line which did not allow a sack.

Clarett led the Buckeye ground game with 66 yards on 11 carries. Maurice Hall added 36 yards on just three totes, the first of which was a 28-yard TD, and Lydell Ross had 28 yards on four tries as Ohio State’s posse of running backs again proved to be too much for the opposing defense.

Defensively, tackle Tim Anderson was credited with seven tackles, while ends Will Smith and Darrion Scott and linebacker Robert Reynolds each had five. Scott had two tackles-for-loss and a sack.

Kicker Mike Nugent was again perfect, hitting all three of his field goal attempts and all six of his PAT efforts. All but one of his kickoffs sailed into the end zone and, for the second game in a row, he also had a tackle.

Tressel on the Win Over Kent State
“I was happy with the way we took control early and jumped out to a big lead,” Jim Tressel, Ohio State heasd coach, said. “When your defense scores 14 points early in the game, it makes life good. I think we lost a little bit of focus when we got up 38-0, but we hung in there and did what we needed to do to win the game. It was hot out there (93), but we were able to play a lot of players and that will help us as the season goes on. I was disappointed that we left the ball on the ground twice. We certainly can’t do that this week or the rest of the year.”

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