What is ‘it’ about the clutch players?
What made former Notre Dame quarterback Joe Montana play so calmly in the final seconds of the fourth quarter?
What caused former Ohio State quarterback Craig Krenzel to lead his team to so many comeback victories during the Buckeyes’ 2002 national championship season?
What was really running through Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan’s veins last season?
If college football coaches knew the answer, they would surely bottle it and pass it on to generations of players to come. But for the most part, coaches really aren’t sure what drives the sport’s greatest clutch players.
From Montana to Krenzel to Ryan, some college players just thrive under pressure. It is a trait seemingly derived from the same DNA that determines the color of a player’s hair and eyes.
Craig Krenzel delivered in the clutch for the Buckeyes.
“Those guys just have it,” Tressel said. “They don’t blink.”
Krenzel barely blinked during his two seasons as Ohio State’s starter. As a sophomore, he was thrust into the starting role when teammate Steve Bellisari was suspended for drunken driving days before the Buckeyes played rival Michigan. Krenzel led the Buckeyes to a 26-20 upset of the No. 11 Wolverines, the Buckeyes’ first victory in Ann Arbor since 1987.
espn.com
8/1/08
