Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg
What moment defines a championship season? Colleagues Ivan Maisel and Mark Schlabach take a look in an excellent series detailing the magic moments for each national champion from the last 25 years
Who can forget Ohio State's dramatic fourth-down touchdown pass from Craig Krenzel to Michael Jenkins against Purdue in 2002?
The Buckeyes trailed Purdue 6-3 and faced fourth-and-1 at the Boilermakers' 37-yard line with less than two minutes to play. Purdue gambled that Ohio State would stick with its conservative play calling and blitzed several players to try to stop a short run. But Buckeyes quarterback Craig Krenzel stood in the pocket and lofted a pass to Michael Jenkins, who beat Antwaun Rogers for a 37-yard touchdown in the 10-6 victory. The Buckeyes beat Illinois and Michigan and then stunned Miami 31-24 in double overtime in the Fiesta Bowl to win a national title.
Other key moments included Brian Griese's touchdown pass to Jerame Tuman for Michigan at Iowa in 1997 and Pete Giftopoulos' interception for Penn State against Miami's Vinny Testaverde in 1986. Penn State wasn't in the Big Ten yet, but this is still worth remembering.
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
Adam Rittenberg
Rittenberg joined ESPN.com in 2008 after four years at the Arlington Heights (Ill.) Daily Herald, where he covered sports at Notre Dame, Northwestern, DePaul and several other colleges. He lives in Chicago.
BIG TEN SCOREBOARD
Saturday, 11/21
Final 10 Ohio State 21 Michigan 10 Final Minnesota 0 13 Iowa 12 Final 16 Wisconsin 31 Northwestern 33 Final Purdue 38 Indiana 21 Final 14 Penn State 42 Michigan State 14
