COLUMBUS, Ohio (Ticker) -- Ohio State coach Jim Tressel is sticking with Craig Krenzel.
Barring any medical problem, Tressel said Krenzel will be back in as the starter Saturday when the sixth-ranked Buckeyes host No. 15 Michigan State in a critical Big Ten Conference contest.
Krenzel was knocked out of last week's game against Penn State with a mild concussion in the second quarter, but super-sub Scott McMullen once again rescued the Buckeyes, engineering an 11-play, 72-yard drive in the final six minutes.
McMullen tossed a five-yard touchdown pass to Michael Jenkins with 1:35 remaining to give the Buckeyes (8-1, 4-1) a 21-20 victory. Ohio State held on when Penn State's David Kimball missed a 60-yard field goal as time expired.
McMullen improved to 3-0 in relief of Krenzel this year and also won games as a starter against Bowling Green and Northwestern when Krenzel was sidelined with a sore elbow.
Ohio State remains in the national championship race but needs help as it ranks fifth in the latest Bowl Championship Series standings.
The defending national champions still control their own destiny in the Big Ten race, sitting in a three-way tie for second with Michigan State (7-2, 4-1) and Purdue.
Ohio State's running game has struggled most of the season in the absence of Maurice Clarett, but the Buckeyes have had some success of the ground in the last two weeks as Lydell Ross has put together back-to-back 100-yard games.
After gaining a season-high 603 total yards against Indiana, the Buckeyes were held to less than half that total (301) against the Nittany Lions.
Michigan State had a seven-game winning streak snapped and suffered its first conference defeat with a 27-20 loss to Michigan last week. The Spartans had no answer for Wolverines running back Chris Perry, who ran for 219 yards and a touchdown on a school-record 51 carries.
Michigan State tried to rally from a 17-point deficit but its hopes ended when Jeff Smoker's "Hail Mary" pass was intercepted in the end zone on the final play of the game. It was the first interception in Big Ten play this season for Smoker, who completed 21-of-40 for 254 yards with a touchdown.
Smoker will be facing an Ohio State team that is third in the nation in total defense (255.6 ypg) and first against the run (49.4).
The teams are meeting for the first time since 2000, when Ohio State posted a 27-13 win in Columbus. The Buckeyes lead the all-time series, 21-12.
