Maurice who?
Ohio State opened defense of its national championship by easily handling 17th-ranked Washington 28-9 Saturday night in front of 105,078 fans at Ohio Stadium.
Without suspended tailback Maurice Clarett, the Buckeyes rolled to a 21-0 first-half lead, parlaying an impressive array of passes and running plays into 345 total yards.
Coach Jim Tressel rotated tailbacks Maurice Hall and Lydell Ross to fill the void of the celebrated Clarett, who rushed for 1,237 yards and 16 touchdowns last year as a true freshman, despite missing five games with injuries.
“I don’t know that we ever relied on one person,” said Ohio State quarterback Craig Krenzel, who completed 15-of-27 passes for 203 yards and ran eight times for 27 yards and two touchdowns. “But this year we have so many weapons offensively.”
Ohio State, ranked No. 2, extended its winning streak to 15 games, the longest active streak in the country.
“They are as advertised,” first-year Washington coach Keith Gilbertson said. “They’re big, powerful, quick and have lots of athletes.”
Hall, who rushed for 58 yards on 15 carries, scored the game’s first touchdown on a 2-yard burst with 8 minutes 31 seconds left in the first quarter to culminate an eight-play, 72-yard drive.
Krenzel ran 23 yards for the Buckeyes’ second score as he eluded tacklers like a breakaway running back. Krenzel scrambled for a second TD 11 seconds before intermission. His 11-yard bob and weave helped make it 21-0.
“More than anything, [the victory] was a message to ourselves,” Krenzel said. “We’re just a bunch of kids out here playing a game. It was a lot of fun out there.”
Krenzel completed 9-of-18 passes for 143 yards by halftime. Senior Michael Jenkins was on the receiving end of three of those first-half tosses for 50 yards and wound up with six catches for 80 yards.
Defensively, the Buckeyes contained prolific Huskies quarterback Cody Pickett and receiver Reggie Williams, who caught 10 passes for 107 yards but no TDs. Ohio State defensive end Will Smith blocked a pass and pressured Pickett on successive first-quarter plays. Then defensive end Simon Fraser sacked Pickett.
“This was a tough loss for us, but our season isn’t over,” said Pickett, who completed 26-of-49 passes for 255 yards but was sacked three times.
Before the game Ohio State athletic director Andy Geiger said Clarett’s suspension was for misleading investigators who were looking into alleged off-the-field problems.
An investigation was begun last month by the NCAA and Ohio State into Clarett’s claim that more than $10,000 in clothing, CDs, cash and stereo equipment had been stolen in April from a 2001 Chevrolet Monte Carlo that he had borrowed from a local dealership.
Geiger said Saturday he didn’t know whether Ohio State would have a response to the NCAA’s list of allegations against Clarett before the end of next week. He also said the response could end up being “150 pages” long.
Clarett is practicing with the Buckeyes but is not permitted to play while the NCAA and Ohio State continue probing the sophomore’s academic and legal problems.
Clarett watched the game from the sidelines in street clothes.
“Maurice is a good friend, and we just try to talk to him and tell him to keep his head up,” said Ohio State receiver/cornerback Chris Gamble.
