Ohio State quarterback Craig Krenzel scores a touchdown against Miami during the second quarter of the Fiesta Bowl on January 3, 2003.Credit: Courtesy of TNS After last season’s nearly improbable run to the first ever College Football Playoff National Championship, the 2015 Ohio State Buckeyes opened camp on Monday with the goal of repeating as national champions — something that was last accomplished by the 2011 and 2012 Alabama squads. The last OSU team that tried to meet this achievement fell short with an 11-2 record and a win in the Fiesta Bowl. Like the 2003 squad, this year’s Buckeye team is loaded with potential NFL talent and is considered by many to be the early favorite to win the national championship. How does this year’s unit compare to those ’03 defending-champion Buckeyes as they entered camp? To give some perspective, when the 2002 Buckeyes defeated a Miami (Fla.) team chock-full of future NFL stars in the national championship game, OSU, virtually, was not given much of a chance. That ’02 team seemed to overcome adversity and doubt time and time again, much like the 2014 national title-winning Buckeyes. Going into camp in 2003, OSU fans had much excitement for the upcoming season. Starting quarterback Craig Krenzel was returning for his senior season alongside his go-to, playmaking wide receiver, and future NFL first-round pick, Michael Jenkins. In total, OSU was returning 13 starters: seven on offense and six on defense. Two of the new starters in 2003, linebacker A.J. Hawk and offensive lineman Nick Mangold, became all-Americans quickly; and are still competing in the NFL. Fourteen players were drafted the following spring, and 19 total starters were drafted from the 2003 team…
Continue Reading: Opinion: 2015 Ohio State football team draws comparisons to ’03 defending champs
