Post by Buckeye Dave on Oct 19, 2008 13:01:00 GMT -5
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- He stood with his back against a wall, the position in which Terrelle Pryor apparently thrives.
Moments after Ohio State's freshman quarterback led an out-of-the-blue 45-7 blowout of Michigan State yesterday, Pryor was still smoldering, unable to put out the competitive fire that had burned so fiercely inside him during a difficult week.
Of course he had heard the questions and the doubts -- how could he not? After a lethargic 16-3 victory over Purdue, in which the offense did not score a touchdown, critics once again wondered whether Pryor was as good as advertised.
Maybe a return to senior quarterback Todd Boeckman could help this club, some speculated.
So on Friday, Pryor stopped into coach Jim Tressel's office.
"I said, 'Coach, if I don't move the ball within the first quarter, sit me down,' " Pryor recalled. " 'You'd better sit me down and put Todd in, because Todd will do it.' "
Tressel said in 23 years as a coach, he's never had a player say such a thing.
"I said, 'Just relax,' " Tressel said. " 'Now, if you throw (an interception), don't worry, you won't have to make that request.' "
The point was moot. Pryor accounted for 188 total yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers.
Chris "Beanie" Wells pounded for 140 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries, and the Buckeyes defense forced five turnovers and scored two TDs, as well.
The 12th-ranked Buckeyes (7-1, 4-0 Big Ten) ran out to a 28-0 lead midway through the second quarter and turned what was expected to be a hard-fought game into a laugher.
It was a disappointment for the Spartans (6-2, 3-1), ranked 20th and hopeful of making a statement in coach Mark Dantonio's second season.
"It was obviously not a very good game today, and we lost a very good opportunity to make an impact on this country," Dantonio said.
Pryor made quite an impact. An 18-yard keeper around left end started the scoring, and an 11-yard run and 7-yard TD pass to Brian Robiskie helped Ohio State recover from a first-and-goal from the 21-yard line to make it 14-0.
On the next series, he found Brian Hartline down the middle for a 56-yard strike that set up a Wells TD. It was 21-0 at the end of a quarter.
Questions, anyone? Pryor leaned against the wall outside the Ohio State locker room, speaking quietly but with intensity.
"People don't know me and don't know what I can do," he said. "Everyone thinks that I'm overrated and all that.
"Wait and see. The time will come and you'll find out."
The defense had its own motivation. On ESPN's College Game D ay, Michigan State running back Javon Ringer said he hoped the Spartans won by four touchdowns.
It wasn't a prediction, but it made its way to the Buckeyes' locker room, anyway.
"It was kind of like bulletin-board material," OSU cornerback Donald Washington said. "Anytime they say what they're going to do to your defense, we kind of took that to the heart."
They took away Ringer, Michigan State's heart. The nation's second-leading rusher came in averaging 159 yards, but was limited to a season-low 67 on 16 carries.
Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis had 11 tackles and 1 1/2 sacks, temporarily knocking quarterback Brian Hoyer out of the game because of head and hand injuries.
Hoyer's backup, Kirk Cousins, directed a crisp scoring drive right after halftime to cut the deficit to 28-7.
But on Michigan State's next series, Malcolm Jenkins sacked Cousins, forcing a fumble that Thaddeus Gibson scooped up and returned 69 yards for a touchdown and a 35-7 lead.
"I still don't believe it," Gibson said. "I wanted to run as fast as I could."
The final margin was a bit embarrassing to Tressel, who is good friends with Dantonio.
"This wasn't a 45-7 game, we know that," Tressel said.
Maybe not, but it wasn't 16-3 and creating a week's worth of criticism, either. The trick for the Buckeyes, as they prepare to take on third-ranked Penn State next week, is to put together two good weeks in a row.
"That's always the challenge," Tressel said. "I don't know where our team is; we'll find out Saturday night against the Nittany Lions."
Moments after Ohio State's freshman quarterback led an out-of-the-blue 45-7 blowout of Michigan State yesterday, Pryor was still smoldering, unable to put out the competitive fire that had burned so fiercely inside him during a difficult week.
Of course he had heard the questions and the doubts -- how could he not? After a lethargic 16-3 victory over Purdue, in which the offense did not score a touchdown, critics once again wondered whether Pryor was as good as advertised.
Maybe a return to senior quarterback Todd Boeckman could help this club, some speculated.
So on Friday, Pryor stopped into coach Jim Tressel's office.
"I said, 'Coach, if I don't move the ball within the first quarter, sit me down,' " Pryor recalled. " 'You'd better sit me down and put Todd in, because Todd will do it.' "
Tressel said in 23 years as a coach, he's never had a player say such a thing.
"I said, 'Just relax,' " Tressel said. " 'Now, if you throw (an interception), don't worry, you won't have to make that request.' "
The point was moot. Pryor accounted for 188 total yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers.
Chris "Beanie" Wells pounded for 140 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries, and the Buckeyes defense forced five turnovers and scored two TDs, as well.
The 12th-ranked Buckeyes (7-1, 4-0 Big Ten) ran out to a 28-0 lead midway through the second quarter and turned what was expected to be a hard-fought game into a laugher.
It was a disappointment for the Spartans (6-2, 3-1), ranked 20th and hopeful of making a statement in coach Mark Dantonio's second season.
"It was obviously not a very good game today, and we lost a very good opportunity to make an impact on this country," Dantonio said.
Pryor made quite an impact. An 18-yard keeper around left end started the scoring, and an 11-yard run and 7-yard TD pass to Brian Robiskie helped Ohio State recover from a first-and-goal from the 21-yard line to make it 14-0.
On the next series, he found Brian Hartline down the middle for a 56-yard strike that set up a Wells TD. It was 21-0 at the end of a quarter.
Questions, anyone? Pryor leaned against the wall outside the Ohio State locker room, speaking quietly but with intensity.
"People don't know me and don't know what I can do," he said. "Everyone thinks that I'm overrated and all that.
"Wait and see. The time will come and you'll find out."
The defense had its own motivation. On ESPN's College Game D ay, Michigan State running back Javon Ringer said he hoped the Spartans won by four touchdowns.
It wasn't a prediction, but it made its way to the Buckeyes' locker room, anyway.
"It was kind of like bulletin-board material," OSU cornerback Donald Washington said. "Anytime they say what they're going to do to your defense, we kind of took that to the heart."
They took away Ringer, Michigan State's heart. The nation's second-leading rusher came in averaging 159 yards, but was limited to a season-low 67 on 16 carries.
Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis had 11 tackles and 1 1/2 sacks, temporarily knocking quarterback Brian Hoyer out of the game because of head and hand injuries.
Hoyer's backup, Kirk Cousins, directed a crisp scoring drive right after halftime to cut the deficit to 28-7.
But on Michigan State's next series, Malcolm Jenkins sacked Cousins, forcing a fumble that Thaddeus Gibson scooped up and returned 69 yards for a touchdown and a 35-7 lead.
"I still don't believe it," Gibson said. "I wanted to run as fast as I could."
The final margin was a bit embarrassing to Tressel, who is good friends with Dantonio.
"This wasn't a 45-7 game, we know that," Tressel said.
Maybe not, but it wasn't 16-3 and creating a week's worth of criticism, either. The trick for the Buckeyes, as they prepare to take on third-ranked Penn State next week, is to put together two good weeks in a row.
"That's always the challenge," Tressel said. "I don't know where our team is; we'll find out Saturday night against the Nittany Lions."