CNNSI.com's Luke Winn examines seven nailbiters on the road to the Fiesta bowl. Ohio State Buckeyes   23 19   Will Allen AP Sept. 21, 2002 at Cincinnati Ohio State, perennially the king of football in the Buckeye State, was playing in the Queen City for the first time in 91 years -- not to mention its first in-state road game since 1916. The Buckeyes trailed the Bearcats 19-14 in the fourth quarter until quarterback Craig Krenzel reached paydirt on a scramble with 3:44 remaining. Cincinnati receivers dropped two potential TD passes in the final minute as Ohio State escaped with a four-point win and improved to 4-0.   10 6   Michael Jenkins AP Nov. 8, 2002 at Purdue The Buckeyes may be defined by stingy defense and power running, but this game was won -- and the perfect season preserved -- on a gutsy miracle through the air. Trailing 6-3 to the Boilermakers with 1:36 remaining, OSU faced a fourth-and-1 situation at the Purdue 37. Jim Tressel eschewed the predictable run and instead called for a deep fade to WR Michael Jenkins, which Krenzel threw perfectly for a now-legendary, game-winning TD.   23 16   Craig Krenzel AP Nov. 16, 2002 at Illinois As if the previous week's nailbiter against Purdue wasn't enough, Ohio State needed overtime to beat the then-4-6 Illini. With Maurice Clarett out due to injury, backup Maurice Hall ran for an 8-yard touchdown to open the extra period, and the Buckeye D batted down Illinois QB Jon Beutjer's final, fourth-down pass to seal the victory. With yet another escape on the road, Ohio State improved to 12-0 for the first time in school history.   14 9   Craig Krenzel AP Nov. 23, 2002 at Michigan A loss here to archrival Michigan, too often the painful spoiler of a Buckeye title run, would've made the season's first 12 wins meaningless in the eyes of the Buckeye nation. An armor-clad Clarett made his triumphant return, rushing for 119 yards despite pain, but it was Hall who scored on a 3-yard run with 4:55 remaining and put OSU up 14-9. The Buckeye defense held off two late Michigan drives, capped off by a Will Allen INT at the gun ... and the rest was history. Miami Hurricanes   28 27   Xavier Beitia AP Oct. 12, 2002 at Florida St. Just when the Seminoles though they could put Wide Right I, II and III behind them, Xavier Beitia authored chapter No. 4: Wide Left I. The Florida State kicker missed a potential game-winning field goal from 43 yards out at the gun as Miami's winning streak extended to 28 games. Ken Dorsey led the Hurricanes back from 27-14 down, throwing two fourth-quarter TD passes in what Miami head coach Larry Coker called the "best football game I've ever seen."   42 17   Willis McGahee AP Nov. 2, 2002 at Rutgers Don't be fooled by the score here -- Rutgers, yes, Rutgers, led 17-14 heading into the fourth quarter after what were perhaps the most shocking three quarters of the season. The Scarlet Knights scored on the game's opening drive and later returned a blocked Freddy Capshaw punt 2 yards for a touchdown to go up 17-8 in the second quarter, but Miami came to its senses late in the game, scoring five unanswered touchdowns.   28 21   Ken Dorsey AP Nov. 21, 2002 vs. Pittsburgh In a Thursday night game at the Orange Bowl, the 'Canes, especially Dorsey, came out flat in the first half and trailed the Panthers 14-7 at one point. RB Willis McGahee took the game into his own hands late in the second quarter, however, ripping off a 69-yard TD to counter Pitt's second TD and swing momentum in Miami's favor. A potential game-tying TD pass from Panther QB Rod Rutherford to WR Yogi Roth fell incomplete in the final minutes, and Miami improved to 10-0, keeping its 32-game winning streak alive.

 

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