When Ohio State downed Miami (FL) in double overtime during the 2002 BCS National Championship Game, it did so all while completing fewer than 10 passes, having its quarterback be its leading rusher and tallying an anemic 3.7 yards per play.
Paltry numbers for a team considered to be college football's best.
Performances like the one put forth against the mighty Hurricanes were what Buckeye fans learned to grow and love that season, though.
Ohio State won all 14 of its games in 2002, but pulled out close games by scores of 23-19 (Cincinnati), 27-16 (Northwestern), 19-14 (Wisconsin), 13-7 (Penn State), Purdue (10-6), Illinois (23-16, OT) and Michigan (14-9) before battling Miami.
| Team | G | PPG (rank) | YPG, Rushing (rank) | YPG, Passing (Rank) | TUrn. PG (Rank) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 14 | 29.3 (41st) | 191.3 (31st) | 173.2 (92nd) | 1.2 (T-2nd) |
| 2003 | 13 | 24.8 (75th) | 126.1 (84th) | 206.1 (71st) | 1.8 (T-8th) |
| 2014 | 15 | 44.8 (5th) | 264.5 (9th) | 247.1 (52nd) | 1.7 (T-10th) |
| 2015 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
Credit the team's proficiency to coming out on top when no one thought they would to sporting one of the country's best defenses and awesome special teams, but when the time came to try and defend their title the Buckeye offense was nowhere near what it was the year before.
Chalk that up to the loss of star freshman running back Maurice Clarett among other things, but the 2003 offense was at times painful to watch on Saturdays.
With that in mind, let's take a gander at the two national title-winning offenses and see what each group had coming back (don't worry, the 2015 version already looks better than the 2003 one did on offense).
Offensive Line
2002 Starters: Ivan Douglas, Adrien Clarke, Alex Stepanovich, Bryce Bishop, Shane Olivea
Key Loss: Douglas
2014 Starters: Taylor Decker, Billy Price, Jacoby Boren, Pat Elflein, Darryl Baldwin
Key Loss: Baldwin
The Skinny: The big guys up front are who made guys like running backs Clarett, Lydell Ross and Maurice Hall along with quarterback Craig Krenzel strong contributors on the ground in 2002. Though they weren't nearly as talented as Clarett was, Ross and Hall still combined to score 10 touchdowns and rush for 989 yards — huge numbers when you think about how hard it was at times for the unit to move the ball. The 2015 line only loses one starter in Baldwin, who is set to be replaced by fifth-year senior Chase Farris at right tackle. The depth behind "The Slobs" is a tad lacking right now, but as long as Ed Warinner dons the Scarlet and Gray, Buckeye fans shouldn't fret.
Running Backs
2002 Starter/Contributors: Maurice Clarett, Lydell Ross, Maurice Hall
Key Loss: Clarett
2014 Starter/Contributors: Ezekiel Elliott, Curtis Samuel, Rod Smith
Key Loss: Smith
The Skinny: Though Smith was kicked off the team in October, he's the lone guy in an already loaded backfield who isn't set to return for 2015, the reason he's on this list. Even though he had a big body and a violent rushing style, Smith won't nearly be as big off a missing piece as Clarett was following the 2002 season. After rushing for a freshman record 1,237 yards and scoring 18 total touchdowns, Clarett stood and watched the 2003 season when Ohio State suspended him amid legal issues including filing a false police report. He production was sorely missed. The battery of Ross and Hall (1,142 rushing yards and 11 scores combined in 2003) couldn't even match the totals Clarett posted by himself the year before.
Clarett was the man in 2002.
Quarterback
2002 Starter: Craig Krenzel
Key Loss: None
2014 Starter: J.T. Barrett, later Cardale Jones
Key Loss: None
The Skinny: Clarett might have been the engine that moved the Ohio State offense during the magical 2002 season, but Krenzel was the gasoline and oil that kept the pistons firing. He wasn't the most athletic or gifted quarterback Ohio State's ever seen, but Krenzel made the plays when his team desperately needed him to whether it be with his legs or his arm. The same could be said on a much different scale for Barrett and Jones, as the former blossomed into a Heisman Trophy candidate in place of the injured Braxton Miller before the latter won the three biggest games of the season when Barrett suffered a broken ankle. Whoever Urban Meyer elects to start at quarterback this fall still has the majority of his weapons back from the 2014 title team. Unlike Krenzel, who dealt with the absence of Clarett all season long.
Wide Receiver
2002 Starters: Michael Jenkins, Chris Gamble, Chris Vance
Key Loss: Vance
2014 Starters: Michael Thomas, Evan Spencer, Devin Smith, Jalin Marshall, Dontre Wilson
Key Losses: Spencer, Smith
The Skinny: We threw Meyer's H-Backs in this section because of how vital Marshall was to quarterback Cardale Jones in the postseason. Tressel ran more of a pro-style offense with Krenzel at the helm, the reason for really only starting two wide receivers — Vance was the choice if they went to a three wideout set. Losing Smith and Spencer — the guy Meyer dubbed the 2014 team MVP — hurts Ohio State this upcoming season, but there are more than capable returnees to fill those voids with Corey Smith, Dontre Wilson, Noah Brown, Parris Campbell and others. To put it simply, the 2015 Buckeye quarterbacks have loads more toys than Krenzel did in 2003 on the outside.
Tight End
2002 Starters: Ben Hartsock, Ryan Hamby
Key Loss: None
2014 Starters: Jeff Heuerman, Nick Vannett
Key Loss: Heuerman
The Skinny: Hartsock was the guy at tight end on the 2002 national championship team, but Hamby also saw considerable time that season as well as the one that followed. Tressell hardly used his tight ends in his time as Ohio State head coach and 2002 was no exception — Hartsock and Hamby combined for 19 catches for 166 yards and three touchdowns. Heurman and Vannett were more than formidable for Meyer's spread power rushing attack, paving the way for Ezekiel Elliott and others while still being a threat in the passing game. Vannett is a better receiver, but Heuerman's blocking and leadership is sure to be missed this upcoming season.
Jim Tressel made himself a boatload of money and a slew of Big Ten Championships along with that one magical run in 2002 to the top of the sport by coaching teams with outstanding special teams, great defenses and ball control offenses. That's what made the combination of Clarett and Krenzel so lethal in 2002 — even if they weren't scoring the ball they chewed clock.
The song was quite different for Urban Meyer's club in 2014. Meyer's spread attack has been ravaging the game since he became in a head coach at Bowling Green in 2001. It didn't matter who was playing quarterback this past season — the Buckeyes rose from the ashes of a loss to Virginia Tech in the second week of the season to grow into a dominant force on offense that beat Oregon and Heisman Trophy winner quarterback Marcus Mariota by 22 points in the title game.
The Buckeyes are young everywhere, but especially on offense with four of five returning starters back on the offensive line, three capable quarterbacks, a star running back and various fast, big and quick wide receivers and H-backs.
With that in mind, it makes sense the 2015 offense could be even better than the one that helped Ohio State win the national title in 2014, but time will be the only thing that tells if that holds true or not.
