Craig Krenzel 21 Ohio State 16 QB PLAYER AGE SCHOOL NO. POSITION

Height  6'4" Weight  215 lbs. Year  Jr. 2002 stats  131-214, 1,864 yards, 12 TDs, 5 INTs Career stats  159-266, 2,207 yards, 13 TDs, 9 INTs

QB SPECIFICS Arm Strength A He can flat-out throw the ball. Craig's deep ball is beautiful and he can get it 65-70 yards, and he throws the deep ball to the side especially well. A lot of guys can throw it down the middle, but in five games I have seen this year Craig has thrown only a couple of bad deep balls to all areas of the field. Escape Ability A He is amazing. With his strength and stature he can wait until the last second to get rid of the ball, and he cannot be sacked with one hand. Many times Craig takes a sack rather than risking something, but he has won games with some of the best scrambles we have seen this year. Quick Set Up B Craig is a big guy, well over 200 pounds, and those guys don't always look to be moving real nimbly. He is above average here, but nothing that really stands out. Accuracy Long A He just doesn't miss very often on the deep ball. Throws the ball like Tom Brady did at Michigan. It's pretty, it gets to the receiver and he doesn't seem to overthrow or underthrow the ball. Has good timing on the long ball. Accuracy Short I Incomplete. This has been a struggle for Craig, probably because he doesn't throw a lot. Ohio State just does not utilize a lot of short passes and when a quarterback can't get lathered up and into a rhythm those are the toughest balls to throw. Locate 2nd Receiver A- The game-winning touchdown pass against Purdue was a great example of how well he goes to the second or third receiver. Craig wanted to go to the tight end on 4th-and-1 but that option was covered, and Chris Gamble was the second option on the crossing route. But he knew his best chance was to over the top to Michael Jenkins and that's what he did. The Buckeyes don't use a lot of four or five-man routes, but he is a bright kid and does a terrific job with the two and three-man routes. Running Ability A- Craig is a strong, powerful runner who hasn't been busted up despite taking some vicious hits this year. He's faster than most people think, probably in the 4.6-4.7 second range in the 40-yard dash. Seems to be very smart running the ball, knowing where the first down marker is and switching hands when he has to, and he always seems to know what he is going to do when he takes off. He's not going to break the long one but that's okay. Quickness of Delivery B This isn't something that jumps out. Craig's delivery is just above average and something he will have to work on if he wants to go to the next level. Judgment A- Craig is follows the gameplan and probably checks off to more running plays at the line of scrimmage than any other quarterback. To be able to follow that plan and have the patience it requires is sometimes harder than throwing 40 passes in a game. His feeling for when to scramble, take a sack or throw the ball is outstanding. He is on a roll in this area and his brightness and level-headed play are to his advantage. Poise A+ There is nobody better. Craig has a calming influence on his team. He is asked to make plays and has very few chances to do so, standing around and handing the ball off all day while managing the mental aspects of the game. But he is then called on to make physical plays late in games and has come through many times. You have to judge this guy on Ws and he is 13-1 as a starter, including a win at Michigan Stadium in his first career start.

SUMMARY Craig came out of nowhere as a guy who was considered nothing more than a holdover, and maybe not even a likely starter with highly-touted freshman Justin Zwick coming in this year. But he has built a darn good history at Ohio State with smarts, calmness, level-headedness and determination. He doesn't get as much credit as he deserves for his skills because the Ohio State staff keeps things locked down and plays to the strength of the defense, but in the right offense Craig would be every bit the quarterback other guys at the top of the game are. He just hasn't been able to show his skills because of the offense he is running.

Former NFL quarterback Gary Danielson is a college football analyst for ABC Sports.