Home > Blogs > Buckeyes Beat > Archives > 2008 > October > 04
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Pryor not dazzling, but good enough
Ohio State may not be quite ready to test the elite teams in the nation just yet, but the defending Big Ten champs pulled out a season-saving, 20-17 victory at Wisconsin on Saturday night and appear to have rid themselves of that post-Southern Cal funk.
Quarterback Terrelle Pryor looked more like a freshman than a budding superstar much of the night, but he showed plenty of panache on an 80-yard game-winning TD drive in the final 6 1/2 minutes.
He came up with key completions to keep the scoring march humming — yes, his throwing motion is a little funky, but accuracy and arm strength aren’t an issue — and he showed how dangerous he can be with his feet on the 11-yard TD scamper with just over a minute to go.
With the Badgers’ defense looking confused, Pryor took a shotgun snap, ran the option to the left with Beanie Wells, tucked the ball away and barreled into the end zone.
Many doubted whether the rookie QB could hold up in an inhospitable venue like rowdy Camp Randall Stadium, but Pryor had the moxie to do it. And the important thing from an OSU standpoint is that the positive outcome on the road should only bolster his already considerable confidence.
“They kept hanging in there, the whole team kept fighting,” OSU coach Jim Tressel told an ABC sideline reporter after the game. “Wisconsin is a good football team (that was) playing at home and fighting for their Big Ten lives. That’s the way conference play is. We’re proud of the poise we had.”
The Buckeyes still have plenty of work to do — they simply can’t muster much of a pass rush with just their front four, and the Beanie Wells-Terrelle combo hasn’t gotten into a rhythm yet — but they went into the year as the preseason pick to win the Big Ten and that feel-good triumph shows they’re still worthy of being considered the league favorites.
