Kansas State vs. (9) Ohio State

One year after winning the national championship, Ohio State finds itself back on the same field where it beat Miami last year in one of college football’s great games.

There’s no championship on the line this time, but Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel doesn’t think that matters.

“The thing you have to make sure is that we don’t in any way, shape or form go back and say, ‘Oh, ho-hum. It’s the same thing.’ Because it’s not the same thing,” Tressel said.

“Granted, we’re not playing for the national championship, but we’re playing a team that is maybe rolling in on a bigger upward swing with a lot of good feeling about what they just accomplished.”

The seventh-ranked Buckeyes will close out the Craig Krenzel era against streaking Kansas State on Friday night in the Fiesta Bowl.

Krenzel led the Buckeyes to a 31-24 double-overtime win over the Hurricanes in last year’s Fiesta Bowl, earning the game’s offensive MVP honors.

However, the 6-foot-4 senior, who missed two games this season with a hyperextended right elbow, said he’s not thinking about last season’s triumphs.

“I haven’t taken a whole lot of time to dwell upon last year,” Krenzel said. “Right now, last year means nothing. All of what happened last season was irrelevant.”

This year, a season-ending 35-21 loss to Michigan dashed the Buckeyes’ championship hopes and sent them into the bowl season on a down note. However, the Buckeyes (10-2) are 23-3 in games Krenzel has started and have never lost two in a row with him at quarterback.

“Craig’s just one of those guys,” Tressel said. “He’s always going to be there for his teammates. He’s going to do the right things on and off the field. He’s going to do the best he possibly can, no matter what his body feels like.”

Lydell Ross led the Buckeyes with 744 rushing yards on 173 carries this season. Michael Jenkins caught 50 passes for 738 yards and is just 54 yards shy of becoming Ohio State’s all-time leader in receiving yards.

Ohio State’s rushing defense has been dominant this season, allowing just 726 yards (61 per game), the best mark in the country.

However, the Buckeyes will have their work cut out against Kansas State’s tandem of quarterback Ell Roberson and running back Darren Sproles—if Roberson plays.

“We’ve faced a good quarterback and an OK running back, or a good running back and a great quarterback,” Ohio State strong safety Will Allen said. “We’ve never seen them both together like this. It’s going to be a real challenge.”

Roberson was accused Thursday of sexually assaulting a woman at the team hotel. Athletic director Ken Weiser said it would be up to coach Bill Snyder whether Roberson plays Friday night.

Roberson threw for 2,251 yards and 24 touchdowns this season and ran for 943 yards on 211 carries. He set career records for total offense, rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns, though the latter two will most likely be broken by Sproles next season.

The senior quarterback missed two starts this season, including a 27-20 upset loss to Marshall that was part of a three-game losing streak that spoiled Kansas State’s national championship hopes.

“He can run the ball, he’s very smart with the ball and he can throw the ball,” Ohio State defensive tackle Tim Anderson said. “He can throw it 50 yards when he needs to and he can throw it 10 yards when he needs to. He’s pretty dangerous.”

Sproles ran for a school-record 1,948 yards and 15 touchdowns and gained at least 200 yards in three of his last four games.

The eighth-ranked Wildcats, who are playing in their first Bowl Championship Series game, have won seven straight since their three-game slide knocked them out of the national rankings. Their shocking 35-7 rout of then-No. 1 Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game gave them their first conference championship since 1934.

Kansas State ranks fourth in the nation in scoring defense (14.9 points per game) and fifth in total defense (279.2 yards). During their winning streak, they have given up just 9.4 points per game.

“It’s been amazing where we’ve gotten to this season,” center Nick Leckey said. “It’s an amazing testament to our players and our coaches.”

This is the first meeting between the schools.