TOSTITOS FIESTA BOWL: OHIO STATE v MIAMI

January 3, 2003

Michael Doss

Craig Krenzel

Donnie Nickey

Jim Tressel

COACH JIM TRESSEL: We are so proud of those 13 seniors and we're so proud of those coaches, the leadership that those two groups gave were unbelievable. You know, the fact that the younger players believed in the coach and older players and our crowd was electric and energized our kids. Miami played their hearts out. That's what the national championship should look like, double overtime.

COACH JIM TRESSEL: You guys are a little slower than they were. They hustled a little bit more, they asked me when I got off the field. They're going to enjoy this. They're going to celebrate with class. They're going to take a deep breath after playing 14 tough football games. The younger guys are going to be back in school on Monday. We probably won't scurry them off to the gym too quickly. Life is about what comes up next. You know, we'll go to work fairly soon.

COACH JIM TRESSEL: If we didn't make it, we wouldn't be here. That's pretty key. Krenzel stepped up. Michael Jenkins ran a great route and got the first and then on the next one, you know, I think we had an interference call, I think on the next one. Chris Gamble was open and got interfered with. Craig called that play. We had a timeout. Then I think it was Maurice Clarett that scored the last one, I think, and, you know, that's how you win championships: You make plays. You keep playing and make plays. Our guys kept playing and we're fortunate we made plays. Miami kept playing. They have nothing to hang their heads about. They're a great football team.

COACH JIM TRESSEL: All I know is Krenzel did for us what we needed done. He led the team, fought like crazy, he made plays, most especially when they had to be made. He's tough. Probably the number one characteristic that a quarterback better have, especially a quarterback at Ohio State, he better be tough. He's tough. He played tough. Number 11 played pretty well over there.

MICHAEL DOSS: Out there on the field there we felt we could play with anybody in the country. We decided to play it out on the field. That's where it counts.

COACH JIM TRESSEL: We knew our two-deep was going to be full of a lot of people. We have some great seniors and red-shirted juniors that were going to be contributors. A long season was going to be to our benefit if we stayed healthy and used it right and if we kept trying to get it better. If you have the good toughness and staying power a long, heavyweighted bout is what they're suited for.

COACH JIM TRESSEL: Our crowd was unbelievable. If felt like a home game. The crowd was loud when we needed it loud and not quite that loud when we needed it softer. I think we came out a little bit hyped up. We were excited to play. We had a couple of penalties and that type of thing. Once we got our feet on the ground and felt the electricity of the crowd, our guys slugged away like crazy.

COACH JIM TRESSEL: I got to get my hair a little longer they say. I'll have to grow it out for a couple days and then we'll have to get some cornrows.

MICHAEL DOSS: I'll give credit to my teammates and glory to God. I've won Championships since I was eight years old. It's a great honor and blessing.

COACH JIM TRESSEL: The game was decided so late I didn't have time to really get ready to emote, but, you know, just what we did in the locker room and on the field is try to find all the people that were special in our lives and we appreciate their role in this particular day. This day is a culmination of a lot of work and sacrifice. Our coaches are tireless workers and our players sacrificed tremendously. What we did is found each other and hugged each other and reminded each other how much we loved one another.

CRAIG KRENZEL: You know, the first one I was fourth and long, you know. They have been playing us in cover two-man, especially in Mike Jenkins' size, because they knew about his ability to go up and catch the ball. Our offensive line did a great job of protecting me, giving me time to step out and Mike time to run his route. The rest is history. You know, after I threw that, I got hit. As I was getting hit, the ball was in the air. I saw contact going on in the corner. The ball fell incomplete and their team rushed the field, and I sat there and to be honest it was a feeling of dejection, thinking the game was over, knowing how hard we played and how much effort we put in, and just at that time thinking we weren't victorious. I thought there was contact but I didn't see the flag until after I got up. I think it was the right call.

COACH JIM TRESSEL: Our guys know what they are capable of and what they can accomplish. Our guys had every confidence going into the football game, that we would compete. We knew they were a great football team and we had not played them before. So you didn't know for sure exactly what the match-up would be. I would say it was a pretty even match-up. Two great heavyweights slugging it out. We came up with the win. Our guys had every confidence we had that ability.

COACH JIM TRESSEL: You know I think the more you get to know a team you feel as if you can put things together to match up with them. I thought our defensive staff did a good job. We had a good plan offensively and special teams-wise. We wanted to kick those punts out of bounds and we did pretty well except for that one. That almost cost us the football game. I think we had a good plan and our guys were focused on studying that film and I think it had a lot of good design to it, close to the board.

DONNIE NICKEY: I think so, a little bit. We've done that all season. We never panic, never give up, no surrender all season.

COACH JIM TRESSEL: I thought that there was interference. I did not see a flag for a moment. I thought "isn't that a shame," because I think the ball was thrown well. As I mentioned earlier, Craig came up with the thought on the play for Chris to do the route he did. I thought he got interfered with. I didn't see a flag. You know we don't complain about things if they don't go our way. It was good to see that guy come up in the back of the endzone and make what I thought was a good call.

COACH JIM TRESSEL: Maurice Clarett is a tremendous competitor and gives tremendous effort, as evidenced by the great strip on the interception and so forth. I think he's probably relieved, you know, to be walking out the doors as the national champions and he's probably happy he's not sitting up here with us right now. He's probable enjoying hugging people in the locker room.

DONNIE NICKEY: I'm going to find my family as soon as I can and get lost in the moment for a while.

MICHAEL DOSS: Same here. My family is down here and enjoying this win. Also my teammates, we worked hard for this. I would like to give credit to all those guys and to finish on this note and be a senior, it's great.

CRAIG KRENZEL: The same answer as these two guys. My family, they're the greatest people in the world. I want to be with them and my teammates, relax a little bit and enjoy the moment. Tomorrow I'm going to enjoy the beautiful weather and try and get a round of golf in before I go home.

MICHAEL DOSS: You know, our coach harped all week about having plus-2 turnovers and I got a blessing with a tipped pass. We continued to go out there and make plays. Our D line played excellent today and they put pressure on Dorsey and he through the ball up.

MICHAEL DOSS: Actually in my career all the teams I've played, I either split 500 or I won. To lose to Miami, that gave me motivation to win this game. I had luck with that. And then 13, 13, 13, everywhere, it had to be one more game. It feels great to become national champions.

COACH JIM TRESSEL: Oh, yeah, one of those timetable questions. I forgot. We had hoped to win it in 2002 but we didn't do the things we needed to do to be the champions. We set out to learn from those things. Our guys started really in late January and February formulating the plans and goals and what needed to be done and the amount of work they've put in between late January of '02 and January 3rd of '03 is unbelievable and they deserve everything they get.

DONNIE NICKEY: What was being said? I don't know, man. I think everybody -- we have been in that situation before. We knew what was on the line. Whatever was said was based on football. We all believed in each other. We knew we had the heart to take this thing home and we did it.

MICHAEL DOSS: I think myself, I just said somebody has to make a play, let everyone step up. This is the last play in the world. At least once a week we have one play where it's the last play in the world and it means everything. We stepped up to the challenge.

MICHAEL DOSS: It's still unbelievable to hear those fireworks go off and rush the field. We won the game but it was the game on the national stage, two overtimes. We're sitting here looking at each other. We're little kids in the candystore. It's Christmas for us. I'd like to give all the glory to God once again.

COACH JIM TRESSEL: Just so you all know, this is the guy who led us to our last national championship, Number 10, Rex Kern.

REX KERN: I want to congratulate you and your team, the way that you won and doing what you guys set out to do. We're proud of the football team and our coach and what you've accomplished. And timetables, they always want to tie you down. I would give a comment of what Woody would say but I won't. Congratulations.