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Ohio State coach Jim Tressel is cementing his reputation as a big-game coach, having displayed a mastery over Michigan and brilliance in bowls while also being a terror against top-10 teams.

But OSU running backs coach Dick Tressel doesn't believe his younger brother's knack for coming through when the stakes are high should have taken anybody by surprise. After all, Jim Tressel proved he could deliver in the clutch long before arriving in Columbus.

"Four national championships," Dick Tressel said, referring to the crowns his brother compiled over 15 years at Division I-AA Youngstown State.

"That's where he really demonstrated that skill, that artistry, to not only get into the situation to be in the big game, but to still have some juice to win the big game."

Tressel certainly has done that with the Buckeyes. He's not only 5-1 against rival Michigan with a three-game winning streak, but he's also 4-1 in the postseason, including 3-0 in Bowl Championship Series games.

What's more, he's a glittering 8-2 against top-10 teams.

"I think the piece he may bring is that every day, all year long, for however long (the players) are here, they're pressed into thinking about the next play, the next workout," Dick Tressel said. "There's always a forward-looking approach. After they've been in that for the 13th or 14th game, and it's been going that way all along, they get back in the huddle and say, 'OK, what do we have to do next?' "

Tressel's unflappable nature also may be a key component. Whether they're facing a fourth-and-14 predicament in overtime against Miami in the 2002 national title game — they gained a first down with a 17-yard completion — or lining up against a lightly regarded foe, his demeanor never changes.

"He doesn't do anything different for big games," quarterbacks coach Joe Daniels said. "It may sound trite, but every game is a big game. When you're sitting there where a loss or two means you're out of the national championship race or Big Ten race, they're all important."

Tressel also has been adamant that football isn't grim business, knowing that players won't give their all if they're not deriving some enjoyment from it.

Daniels, who is in his 37th year as an assistant, pointed out that the OSU staff isn't uptight.

"We're going to have fun," he said. "If there's something funny in a game, we're not going to hide it. I think our players respond to that."

Ask junior receiver Anthony Gonzalez what makes Tressel's teams shine when the lights are bright, and he'll point out that the Buckeyes aren't doing so badly off Broadway, either.

Tressel has a 62-13 overall record since coming to Columbus.

"What makes Michael Jordan great? He was great in big games. Well, he was also great in small games," Gonzalez said. "Coach Tressel is great in big games, but he's great in small games, too."

Tressel led the Buckeyes to their first national title in 34 years by prevailing in 2002, and his team is favored to win its second in five seasons on Monday night. But he doesn't profess to have a magic formula.

"The ball has bounced right for us at times — and some will even say the penalty flag has helped us," he said. "But our guys love to compete, and we've got good players. And we've had our share of good fortune.

"But there have been some times when we've not had as much success as we'd like."

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2125 or at dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com.

Tressel knows how to win
How the past four OSU coaches have fared in big games
Category	Woody Hayes (1951-78)	Earle Bruce (1979-87)	John Cooper (1988-2000)	Jim Tressel (2001 —)
vs. Michigan	16-11-1	5-4	2-10-1	5-1
Bowl games	5-6	5-3	3-8	4-1
vs. Top 10	23-20-3	5-8-1	8-12-1	8-2