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Leto graduate has big day

Ohio State receiver Michael Jenkins caught two TD passes Saturday against Indiana.

By AARON PORTZLINE
© St. Petersburg Times
published October 1, 2002

Until he took the field Saturday against Indiana, Ohio State receiver Michael Jenkins didn't believe what he'd seen and heard all week.

"Everybody kept saying we were going to run a five-wide (receiver) set," said Jenkins, a 1999 Leto graduate. "Then, we went out there and we actually did it."

Forgive Jenkins' skepticism. For the first four games of the season, he was part of a passing attack that was similar to a spare tire: It's there if you need it, but it's best if you don't. Ohio State, 5-0 and ranked No. 5 in the USA Today/ESPN and AP polls, came in as the Big Ten's lowest-rated passing offense.

"Yeah, I was a little skeptical," said Jenkins, who leads the Buckeyes with 21 catches for 336 yards. "Our running game (which includes 2001 Gaither graduate Lydell Ross) has been doing very well, so I knew they weren't going to shy away from that too much."

Granted, Ohio State ran the ball 39 times for 244 yards, and freshman Maurice Clarett (21 carries, 104 yards, three touchdowns) was once again the focal point in the 45-17 victory.

But the passing game had its moments, with 18 completions in 23 attempts for 217 yards and two touchdowns, both to Jenkins on fade routes in the end zone. Jenkins finished with seven catches for 93 yards.

Ross, a sophomore and former Times' All-Suncoast Player of the Year, is second to Clarett on the depth chart. Clarett has 84 carries, 575 yards and nine touchdowns. Ross has 55 carries, 255 yards and two scores.

Ross, who had two carries for 11 yards against Indiana, had a season-high 130 yards in a 23-19 win over Cincinnati on Sept. 21.

An Ohio radio station briefly circulated the idea that Ross might be thinking about transferring, but Ross said there was no chance of that.

-- Times Staff Writer Scott Purks contributed to this report.

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