Ohio State defends the belt, 44–38, at home over NC State.
AP poll, week 4: NC State No. 24 at Ohio State No. 3 · No. 1 that week: Wake Forest. The belt vs. the polls →
Where this game sits in the lineage
Ohio State came in 253 days into reign #254, which began with a win over Miami, with 2 defenses already behind it; this was its third defense. Ohio State went on to defend it 2 more times before Wisconsin took it on October 11, 2003, 281 days after the reign began.
For NC State this was its 5th shot at the belt; it had held the belt twice before.
This is the only time NC State and Ohio State have met with the belt on the line.
About this game
Ohio State defeated NC State 44-38 on September 13, 2003, in Columbus. The belt-holding Buckeyes successfully defended their title in this Week 4 matchup.
Written by Claude, strictly from this site’s own record of the game — the score and what it meant for the belt. CFBD doesn’t have a box score for games this old, so nothing here is invented beyond what’s verifiably on file.
Key plays
CFBD play-by-play| When | Team | Yards | Play |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 4:47 | Ohio State | +44 yd | Craig Krenzel (OSU) pass across the middle complete to Michael Jenkins (OSU) for a 44 yard touchdown. |
| Q1 4:47 | Ohio State | +0 yd | Extra point by Mike Nugent (OSU) is good. |
| Q1 4:13 | NC State | +0 yd | Wolfpack fumble by Richard Washington (NCST), recovered by Will Allen (OSU), returned for no gain. |
| Q1 3:29 | Ohio State | +0 yd | Extra point by Mike Nugent (OSU) is good. |
| Q1 3:29 | Ohio State | +2 yd | Lydell Ross (OSU) rushed up the middle for a 2 yard touchdown. |
| Q2 14:53 | NC State | +0 yd | Wolfpack fumble by Philip Rivers (NCST), recovered by Sean Locklear (NCST), advanced for no gain. |
| Q2 12:18 | Ohio State | +0 yd | Craig Krenzel (OSU) pass across the middle intercepted by Lamont Reid (NCST). Returned for no gain. |
| Q2 9:25 | Ohio State | +29 yd | Craig Krenzel (OSU) pass across the middle complete to Santonio Holmes (OSU) for 29 yards. |
| Q2 8:06 | Ohio State | +8 yd | Buckeyes fumble by Brandon Schnittker (OSU), recovered by Gregory Golden (NCST), 8 yard return. |
| Q2 4:43 | NC State | +3 yd | Wolfpack fumble by Philip Rivers (NCST), recovered by Ricky Fowler (NCST), 3 yard advance. |
| Q2 0:24 | NC State | +11 yd | Philip Rivers (NCST) pass across the middle complete to Jerricho Cotchery (NCST) for a 11 yard touchdown. |
| Q2 0:24 | NC State | +0 yd | Extra point by Adam Kiker (NCST) is good. |
| Q2 0:01 | Ohio State | +0 yd | Craig Krenzel (OSU) pass left side intercepted by Gregory Golden (NCST). Returned for no gain. |
| Q3 11:48 | NC State | +27 yd | T.A. McLendon (NCST) rushed up the middle for 27 yards. |
| Q3 2:10 | NC State | +55 yd | Philip Rivers (NCST) pass left side intercepted by A.J. Hawk (OSU). Returned for 55 yards. |
| Q3 0:04 | Ohio State | +22 yd | 22 yard field goal by Mike Nugent (OSU) is good. |
| Q4 15:00 | Ohio State | +34 yd | Kickoff returned by Gregory Golden (NCST) for 34 yards. |
| Q4 14:46 | NC State | +0 yd | Philip Rivers (NCST) pass across the middle intercepted by Brandon Mitchell (OSU). Returned for no gain. |
| Q4 15:00 | NC State | +0 yd | Wolfpack fumble by Gregory Golden (NCST), recovered by Gregory Golden (NCST), advanced for no gain. |
| Q4 12:45 | Ohio State | +29 yd | Craig Krenzel (OSU) pass right side complete to Michael Jenkins (OSU) for 29 yards. |
| Q4 12:01 | Ohio State | +6 yd | Craig Krenzel (OSU) rushed left side for a 6 yard touchdown. |
| Q4 12:01 | Ohio State | +0 yd | Extra point by Mike Nugent (OSU) is good. |
| Q4 9:42 | Ohio State | +0 yd | Buckeyes fumble by Santonio Holmes (OSU), recovered by Jerricho Cotchery (NCST), returned for no gain. |
| Q4 9:00 | NC State | +9 yd | Philip Rivers (NCST) pass left side complete to Jerricho Cotchery (NCST) for a 9 yard touchdown. |
| Q4 9:00 | NC State | +0 yd | Extra point by Adam Kiker (NCST) is good. |
| Q4 6:51 | Ohio State | +17 yd | Craig Krenzel (OSU) pass left side intercepted by A.J. Davis (NCST). Returned for 17 yards. |
| Q4 5:56 | NC State | +24 yd | 24 yard field goal by Adam Kiker (NCST) is good. |
| Q4 0:48 | NC State | +5 yd | Philip Rivers (NCST) pass left side complete to T.J. Williams (NCST) for a 5 yard touchdown. |
| Q4 0:48 | NC State | +0 yd | Extra point by Adam Kiker (NCST) is good. |
| Q4 2:31 | NC State | +20 yd | Philip Rivers (NCST) pass left side complete to T.A. McLendon (NCST) for 20 yards. |
| Q4 1:30 | NC State | +22 yd | Philip Rivers (NCST) pass left side complete to Brian Clark (NCST) for 22 yards. |
| Q4 1:05 | NC State | +20 yd | Philip Rivers (NCST) pass left side complete to Tramain Hall (NCST) for 20 yards. |
| Q5 0:00 | NC State | +0 yd | Extra point by Adam Kiker (NCST) is good. |
| Q5 0:00 | NC State | +17 yd | Philip Rivers (NCST) pass left side complete to Tramain Hall (NCST) for a 17 yard touchdown. |
| Q6 0:00 | Ohio State | +2 yd | Craig Krenzel (OSU) pass across the middle complete to Ryan Hamby (OSU) for a 2 yard touchdown. |
| Q6 0:00 | Ohio State | +0 yd | Extra point by Mike Nugent (OSU) is good. |
Scoring plays, turnovers, and gains of 20+ yards, pulled from CFBD’s play-by-play. This section only appears for belt games with play-by-play on file (2003 onward).
Sources Box score at ESPN · Game record: College Football Data (id 232560194) · This game in the downloadable dataset