UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Sulking into the visiting locker room at halftime, the Ohio State football team had a 10-point deficit looming over its head Saturday.
It was the first time in the 2003 season such a large differential was in place against the Buckeyes with only 30 minutes of competition remaining. To complicate things, starting quarterback Craig Krenzel was taken off the field moments before the second quarter clock wound down.
Taking the field, backup Scott McMullen had work in front of him. He led the rest of the OSU offense to two touchdowns and the win.
“I just came into the game and did what I had to,” McMullen said. “I knew all I had to do was to be loose and have confidence in my team and we could pull this out.”
Both scores came on pass plays against the nation’s best pass defense. Before the contest, the Penn State Nittany Lions had only allowed 127.6 yards per game in the air. In eight games, Penn State opponents had only scored six passing touchdowns. OSU compiled 148 yards passing and 153 yards rushing.
Before his removal, Krenzel had racked up only 36 of those passing yards and had commanded only one touchdown. He was taken out after he received a shot to the ribs and apparently knocked his head.
“(Krenzel) got banged, and I don’t know what the medical reports say,” coach Jim Tressel said. “As far as I know, he wasn’t cleared to get in.”
Krenzel did not stop helping his team when he took a seat on the bench though. According to Tressel, Krenzel called the game-winning play.
“He suggested to (McMullen) that he move Mike (Jenkins) over by the boundary and throw it in the air and let him jump and get it,” Tressel said.
The plan worked and put the Buckeyes ahead of the Nittany Lions by one point. That point would be all OSU needed to leave Happy Valley with yet another victory.
“We won by one, and we’ll take it,” free safety Nate Salley said. “We played hard.”
McMullen’s statistics added more fuel to a quarterback controversy that sparked with Krenzel’s completion rates and turnovers in past games. Against Penn State, the starter was 5-for-12 in passing attempts, while his backup threw 12-for-17. Add to it that Krenzel threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown to put the Nittany Lions up 14-7 in the opening half and a power struggle seems to exist.
Earlier in the season Krenzel sustained an injury to his throwing elbow. The injury kept him out of two games and McMullen was able to come through with the victories. Tressel said having McMullen in the signal calling spot does not limit what the Buckeyes can do.
“He knows everything we’re doing,” he said. “I was asked what would we have to limit with him at quarterback, and I said absolutely nothing.”
The clutch receiver for both throwers has been split end Jenkins throughout the season. The trend did not end against Penn State. Both of the touchdown passes from McMullen went to Jenkins.
“There is no difference in how (Krenzel and McMullen) throw,” Jenkins said. “(McMullen) finds an open man just like (Krenzel) does, and I think he did a good job of that tonight.”
