Up Close With PSR
Jim Tressel

Editor's Note: In just his second season as Ohio State's head football coach, Jim Tressel has the Buckeyes in contention for a national championship. Tressel's 12-0 team, one of only two unbeaten Division I teams in the country, will face 13-0 and top-ranked Miami (FL) in the Fiesta Bowl, January 4th in the Bowl Championship Series title game.

Tressel, 50, is no stranger to national championship games. He coached for 15 seasons at Youngstown State before coming to Ohio State, leading the Penguins to four national championships in six appearances in the Division I-AA title game. After two years and a 19-5 mark at Ohio State, Tressel's career coaching record stands at 154-62-2.

PSR's Scott Robertson caught up with the coach as he was beginning preparations for Miami and the Fiesta Bowl.

Q: Are you surprised by how this season has gone?

JT: It's hard to tell. Every year is different but it always happens so fast.

Q: Did the seeds for this year get planted in last season's (Outback) bowl game?

JT: I like to think we used the practices for that game to get better. That was the first time all of us had been to a bowl together and I like to think that contributed to us having a great year this year. The key to coaching, I think, is utilizing your time well. I feel we utilized our time well last year.

Q: One of the strengths of Miami's team is its great speed. How do you account for that?

JT: Speed is the No. 1 concern in any sport. If you are playing soccer, and one team is faster than the other, chances are good that (faster) team will be successful. That's obviously the case in football.

Miami has great speed at every position. They are always a play way from making something big happen on both sides of the ball.

I have not spent hours and hours on film yet, but from what I've seen, they have tremendous speed. I know this -- you better play as fast as you can when you play against them.

We've got some good speed, too. We've worked hard at recruiting speed. But when you watch (Miami) on film, you can see they have incredible speed.

Q: Was increasing team speed one of your priorities when you came to Ohio State?

JT: It's a priority wherever you coach. We wanted to have the fastest team when we were at I-AA. Ohio State has always done a good job of recruiting speed. That was true when I was here with Coach (Earle) Bruce, and Coach (John) Cooper did a good job of it. Speed really can give you an edge.

Q: One of your assistant coaches said recently that Maurice Clarett might be the best running back in Ohio State history—better than Archie Griffin, John Brockington or Eddie George. Where do you think he rates, especially in comparison to players of that caliber?

JT: Maurice Clarett has tremendous ability, but I think it's way too early to make that kind of comparison. People become legendary because they pass the test of time. They do the things they do over a long period of time. Maurice has had a great start to his career. He's got great ability. He loves the game; he studies the game. But I think it's too early to draw those kinds of comparisons.

Q: Clarett registered early and got started at school before most freshmen did. How did that help him adapt to things in his freshman year?

JT: In his case, it was a real good thing. It set him on a pathway to be able to start the first game of his freshman year. He had made a lot of adjustments before August. He got through some of the personal adjustments and the academic adjustments, so in his case it was a real good thing.

Q: How is his (injured) shoulder?

JT: I think it's OK. You never know with nerves, though. His problem was a stinger. Nerve problems like that take quite some time to heal. So you really don't know. But we've been done since November 23. I think that's enough time for him.

He'll certainly give it his best shot. We'll see how he does. We're glad to have him on our side.

Q: (Quarterback) Craig Krenzel has become your team leader. When did this become his team?

JT: Craig is a very focused guy. We need to be a focused team. He works hard at the game. The team feels strongly about his influence. The fact that they voted him co-MVP of the regular season is a pretty good indicator of how the team feels about how he has done.

Most guys focus in on what their tasks are for each game. You could not help but notice the impact that Craig has had. As time went on, his consistency increased. There was no question that we felt like he was the guy to take us where we wanted to go.

Q: How has he changed from the kid who started the Michigan game last year?

JT: He's got more experience, but he's the same kid. He's done a great job of doing the things we expect him to do. That's who he is. He's the same kid with more experience.

Q: Is it that he is able to avoid the highs and lows that sometimes go along with playing quarterback?

JT: He's pretty focused on what is going on. He does not get too high or too low. Most of his time is spent focusing on what the defense is doing, and what we are attacking opponents with.

Q: What were some of the things you tried to instill in this team, from a mental aspect, in preparation for this season?

JT: There are certain things we wanted to instill. A team first attitude was one thing. We wanted to work to be the best we could. As coaches, we tried to design some things that we thought our players were best suited for.

Q: Miami has a 34-game winning streak. You have won 13 in a row. In today's game of parity in college football, what can you say about a team that has won 34 in a row, and how tough that must be to do?

JT: We always talk about consistency. That (consistency) really is the hallmark of excellence. If you want to have an excellent program, you had better be consistent. They have won 34 in a row, and I think they won something like 10 in a row before they lost that one. They have been very consistent over that time. That's why they are such a great team.

Q: Can you talk about the chemistry between the veterans on this team and the younger players?

JT: We felt that with only 13 seniors on the team, we would need great leadership from them off the field, and we would need their career-best years on the field. I think we have gotten that. Plus, we've had the positive influence of the young guys who have contributed for us. It's been a real good blend for us.

Q: What has been the reaction of the upperclassmen to the contributions made by Clarett? Specifically that of Lydell Ross (who Clarett replaced as starting tailback)?

JT: People respect effort. They see the results. Maurice's efforts and his contributions are clear to anyone who has been paying attention.

I really appreciate Lydell Ross. He has competed like a son of a gun. He wants to make a big play that makes the difference in the Fiesta Bowl. We're very lucky we have Lydell Ross on our team.