Although he remains in relative obscurity to most people outside the state of Ohio, Mike Nugent has emerged as one of the best place-kickers in the nation.

Maurice Clarett and Craig Krenzel may have made the headlines during the Buckeyes’ title run last season, but no player on OSU’s roster was more consistent than Nugent. In 2002, he scored a team-high 120 points, converted on a school-record 25 field goals — which included a stretch of 23 consecutive — and set the single-season record for the most field goals of 40 or more yards with nine.

This season the Centerville, Ohio, native has seemingly picked up where he left off, connecting on seven of his eight field-goal attempts and making all 15 of his extra-point tries.

Nugent and the No. 3-ranked Buckeyes are traveling to Madison this weekend to play in their first road game of the season. With all the hype surrounding the game, OSU’s junior place-kicker is looking forward to what should be an exceptionally raucous Camp Randall atmosphere.

“This is only going to be my third year, and … it just seems like wherever it’s at, the game is one of the most hyped-up games by both sides of the ball,” Nugent said. “So, I think they do such a great job. We get to go back there this year, and I’m just looking forward to coming out and seeing how it goes for us.”

While he would undoubtedly be accepted with open arms by pretty much any football team in the country now, Nugent was not heavily recruited coming out of high school. Had Wisconsin, or any other Big Ten school for that matter, given him an offer, he would have likely accepted.

“It was really kind of a thing for me when I was trying to get out to (play) anywhere,” Nugent said. “I would have gone anywhere I could find that wanted me … Wisconsin was probably no different than Purdue or something like that.”

The decision to attend Ohio State, however, has worked out pretty well for the All-American place-kicker. The Buckeyes ran the table last year and capped off their season with a double-overtime victory over Miami in the Fiesta Bowl.

“It’s kind of one of those things where, at the time, I was so shocked at what was going on,” he said about making a crucial 44-yard field goal in the game’s third quarter and winning the national title.

“I didn’t even get to win the state championship in high school, and then the fact that I got to be on a team that won the national championship … it was just one of the greatest feelings in the world. I was without words when it happened. Now that I look at it, it’s kind of cool just to think that I actually got to play in those games … I actually got to play and score some points. So, that was probably one of the coolest parts, just that I got to be a part of it.”

While Nugent would like to keep playing as long as he can, he realizes there is life after football. As a marketing major he has thought about, among other options, the prospect of working for his family’s mustard company when he hangs up his cleats.

“I wanna play as long as I can. But you know [football] doesn’t last forever. We have a family business at home on my mom’s side of the family. Maybe I’ll go into something like that, with the marketing aspect of it.”

After making OSU’s roster his freshman year, Nugent decided on the number 47, because that was the number the Buckeyes’ previous kicker, Dan Stulz, wore. He was forced to switch to 85, however, after the team made a position change.

“I’m pretty good buddies with the guy that used to kick here … and I was kind of going to take over his duties and be number 47, also. But I think one of our linebackers switched to running back, or the other way around, and they made him change numbers. So, they gave him 47, and then I guess pretty much just stuck me with 85.”

“At first I was a little confused. I was kind of like, ‘What kicker wears number 85?’ But it’s kind of one of those things … I like to think that the number doesn’t make the player, the player makes the number. And hopefully I kind of got a name for myself with it like that.”

Although he shares no relation with rock legend Ted Nugent, “Nuge” continues to make a name of his own. And that name, providing he continues to kick as consistently as he has for OSU the last two years, could one day be on an NFL roster sheet.