The four touchdowns aren't really surprising. The fact that they all came through the air is.In the last five years, Ohio State has had the luxury of putting three former Army All-American Bowl MVPs on the field. One of them shattered the school return records and is in the NFL. Another broke Archie's sophomore rushing mark and is currently hobbled with a bum toe. The third earned his first career start today and lived up to his impressive billing.
Earning the nod over incumbent Todd Boeckman, who had started the previous 16 Buckeye games, Terrelle Pryor threw for four touchdowns on the day in leading the Buckeyes to a 28-10 win over Troy. Through the first three games, we'd seen glimpses of what he could do on his feet, but today he answered all critics that were wondering about his long game by throwing for a pair of touchdowns that went 38 and 39 yards. He still did damage on his feet and save for the late sack in the 2nd quarter that took the team out of field goal range, he had a near error-free day.
The Trojans were certainly game and entered the final stanza down only four points, but a stiffening Buckeye defense, the fine punting of AJ Trapasso and two fourth quarter Pryor touchdown tosses put the game out of reach.
Offense
Well, the Pryor era is officially upon us, which leads to the uncomfortable proposition of the team's senior quarterback, a captain, facing the prospect of becoming a backup for the last eight games of the season. He came into the game for a handful of plays on the Buckeyes' fourth series and watched a Hartline reverse get blown up before throwing a ball into Hartline's feet on 2nd down. The home crowd promptly voiced their displeasure and Pryor came back into the game to pick up a 3rd and 17 before having the play reversed because Robo decided to step out of bounds for a second on his route. I can't remember the last time a senior captain lost his job mid-season in Columbus, but Boeckman handled the affair like the consummate pro in postgame interviews:
"I'm happy for Terrelle, he had a great day. He did some great things out there. He's getting better every time he's out there and he made some great plays out there. I'm excited for this team and for him."
Boeckman is a better man than I am, that's for sure. I know we've all piled on him at various times this season, but you have to tip your hat to the guy for handling an uncomfortable situation with grace.
For his part, Pryor was also humble, paying respect to Todd in his comments and passing credit to the offensive line and receivers for the success of his debut performance. He even went so far as to say that he messed up a lot and will get yelled at during film sessions. Ah, don't kids say the cutest things?
The playcalling on the day was pretty nondescript, though a couple of reverses were tossed in (both with average to disastrous results). What Pryor did bring to the table was a certain pocket presence and calming leadership that had been missing under Boeckman. The first touchdown went to tight end Rory Nicol, which is a rarity in these parts and he also did a good job of getting the ball to Smith out of the fullback spot. You know it's just a matter of time until Tressel breaks out the Tebow special: the fake QB sneak into the goal line with the quarterback pulling up to shot-put the ball to a wide open tight end. Michigan, you've been warned.
Boom came in and ran hard on the afternoon, finishing with 94 yards on 20 carries. He just missed that first century game we had predicted for him, but he's clearly getting better each week and providing an option in the backfield while Saine (4 for 9) and Rasta Wells (2 for 9) remain ineffective. Pryor finished 2nd on the team in rushing yards with 66 on 14 carries (take away the sack and he's sitting at 82, good for 5.8/carry).
The play out of the receivers was a mixed bag on the day. Both Brians started slow, including a curious one-armed attempt at a nicely thrown bomb from Robiskie that was probably good for a 90 yard score early in the game. Robo and Hartline would each finish with a long touchdown catch, but Robiskie is clearly still bothered by the shoulder injury he suffered in fall camp. Talking to reporters after the game, he would only say that he dropped the ball on the bomb and avoided any injury talk.
The balls to Nicol and Smith were nice to see, but the team's leading receiver coming into the game, Ray Small, made only a cameo appearance on a 4th quarter reverse that went for minimal gain. You can't help but wonder if Ray got himself into some more trouble -- probably something minor like being late for a team meeting or something -- and Tressel would only say that "he's fighting for playing time" when addressing his status after the game. Frosh DeVier Posey and sophomore Taurian Washington got the majority of Small's vacated snaps as the 4th wide receiver.
Freshman Mike Brewster earned his first career start at center as Jim Cordle was bumped to left guard to fill in for the injured Rehring. Right guard Ben Person's play continues to be cause for concern, but the line looked much improved over their performance last week in Los Angeles. Then again, this was the Trojan Lite defense and not the unit featuring Maualuga, Cushing, Matthews, Ellison and Mays, so take that performance review with a grain of salt. We'll know more about how good this line wants to become in two weeks in Madison.
Defense
Troy came out and ran a lot of horizontal quick passes to move the ball and pick up some yards on Ohio State's defense, especially early on. They moved the ball to the Buckeye four yard line on their third drive of the game before a Laurinaitis sack moved them back to the 13. After picking up five yards on 2nd down, the Trojans were held to a three yard gain on 3rd and goal from the eight, ultimately settling for a field goal to cut Ohio State's lead to 7-3.
Trailing 14-3 with 3:34 remaining in the 2nd quarter, Troy scored on a five play drive capped by a 45-yard touchdown strike from Hampton to Jernigan to cut the lead to four points. The score came about on another short pass, that saw Freeman, Coleman, Washington and Hines miss tackles on the catch and run.
Despite being down 14-10, Troy took a lead in total yards into halftime and actually finished with one more yard on the day (310 to 309), but once Ohio State started to score points, the Trojans were forced to try to go a little more vertical and the Buckeye front four did a good job of getting into the backfield and causing disruptions down the stretch. With only two sacks on the afternoon (Laurinaitis and Gibson), the Buckeyes didn't do much to help their woeful national ranking in this category, but they did get a rare victory over an opponent in sacks on the stat sheet, so we'll take that.
The spread and fast-paced offense clearly gave the Buckeyes trouble at times, but each time Troy started to get something going, Heacock's crew stiffened. The defense, in conjunction with some excellent Trapasso punting, kept the Trojans on their side of the 40 yard line for their final four drives of the game. Their second half possessions consisted of an interception followed by five punts. This may not sound like much, but Troy has been able to score a lot of points the last few years, including 30+ on both Florida and Georgia last season and the school record 700+ yards they put up on Alcorn State last week.
Kurt Coleman was the star of the secondary on the day, coming away with the first two interceptions of his career. The first was a spectacular play where he pulled the ball out of a receiver's hands and the second came inside the OSU red zone when Hampton threw a ball up for grabs from the Buckeye 34 to kill a promising drive at the start of the 2nd half. Jermale Hines was everywhere again, getting the start in the Buckeye nickel package and finishing tied for second on the team with a career-high seven tackles. He did drop a guaranteed pick-six that his teammates will surely pile on him for during film study, but he's rising and fast.
Special Teams
In a rarity for 2008, the Buckeyes did not attempt a single field goal on the afternoon. Punter AJ Trapasso was clearly the special teams star for the second straight week, averaging 46.6 yards on his seven punts, including three he put inside the Troy 20 -- two of which came as the game was winding down and lead indirectly to quick Buckeye scores to put the game out of reach. He had a 60-yarder to put a cap on his performance.
The return game still needs a lot of work, especially with Small out of the punt return scene for the time being. Robo and Hartline each handled two punts and checked in with a long of 9 and 8, respectively.
Notes
Pryor became the first freshman to start at quarterback for Ohio State since Art Schlichter did so in 1978... He also broke Schichter's freshman record of three touchdown passes in a game with his four strikes (also good enough for a new Buckeye freshman touchdown mark for a season)... Hartline's 39-yard touchdown grab was the is the team's second-longest pass play of the season... The listed attendance of 102,989 was the smallest Ohio Stadium crowd in 6 years (Kent State, 2002)... This was OSU's first game against a team from the Sun Belt conference... The 1968 and 1973 teams were honored at halftime... OSU's honorary captain for the game was 1970 Lombardi and Outland Award winner Jim Stillwagon... Tressel is now 23-1 at Ohio Stadium in non-conference games.
Comments
He really played a very good game. Very few mistakes, and you can't count the interception against him because it was a hail mary. Checked down well and only locked in a couple of times.
Not to pile on TB, but Pryor just gives you another element in the running attack, and you see something in him that the great players have. He has moxie or swagger or the "it" factor, whatever you want to call it.
He may never lose another game in his college career.
"He may never lose another game in his college career."
Wow.
We had pretty good seats for this one. I scored the Huntington Club, 45-yard line, row 18, so we had a pretty good view.
First off, anyone booing Todd Boeckman ought to have their tickets taken away from them, and never given back. I don't care who you think should start, or play - the kid doesn't deserve that. We're not Browns fans. Show some class.
Against a competent defense, Pryor doesn't go 4/1, he goes 2/3. That wounded duck to Robiskie gets picked, as does the errant throw in the flat that Troy should have taken back for six. Pryor looked good, and showed some excellent poise, but he telegraphs throws and doesn't scan the field well yet. I see lots of room for improvement, and lots of potential, though.
That said, I was more interested in his sideline demeanor. When the defense huddled up before taking the field, Pryor was there, slapping behinds and stoking them up. Same for special teams. He engages the guys on the bench, and shows a lot of leadership. When the defense was playing, Pryor watched every snap, cheering them on. I like to see that.
Herron continues to impress. I enjoyed watching the interaction between Herron and what passes for an offensive line. They like blocking for him, because he's got some pop in his pads, and works hard. Linemen love blocking for a guy like that. I saw lots of fellas slapping his helmet, egging him on. Love it.
If Robo's shoulder is so bad that he can't dive for a catchable ball, let Taurian Washington or Devier Posey have a chance, please? That was awful.
Brandon Smith is huge. He's far bigger than I remember him being, and he looks like a dump truck when he catches the ball in the flat. Gawd, use that guy. Use Ballard. PLEASE.
The defensive line is just awful. They were completely gassed in the fourth quarter, and they get no penetration at all. I just don't know what to do about that. Troy's offensive linemen were all over our linebackers, and we get no pass rush without sending linemen or safeties. I think a soft, catch-them-as-they-come approach is probably the order of the day for the rest of the year, because we just don't have anything at tackle or end. REALLY disappointing.
As for the offensive line, well, they're just offensive. Wow. I thought Brewster did some good things. In practice, I thought he'd be the one of the three big incoming freshmen to redshirt, if applicable, but I guess I blew that call. He looked alright, though I'm sure we'll fatten him up and coach him down.
We finish 8-4 and play an SEC team in the Citrus Bowl. Oh, goody.
Oh, I got my jersey signed by Jim Stillwagon, which means I have yet another $115 shirt that I can never wear again.
My Dad has told me time and again that of all the defensive players he saw at Ohio State, Jim Stillwagon was the best. I saw him upstairs in the lounge area, and got to talk to him for a few minutes, all alone. Very nice guy, and seemed genuinely gratified to know that my Dad thought that highly of him.
"We’re not Browns fans. Show some class."
LOL! I bet there are a lot of Browns fans that read this blog...but I'm not one of them.
"The defensive line is just awful. They were completely gassed in the fourth quarter, and they get no penetration at all. I just don’t know what to do about that."
I do. A new Strength and Conditioning Coach is on my wish list this Christmas (along with a new OC and DC--as their only responsibility). I haven't been impressed with this area since January 2007.
"My Dad has told me time and again that of all the defensive players he saw at Ohio State, Jim Stillwagon was the best."
Your Dad is a sharp guy. Sly as a Fox, I bet. ;-)
The best looking frosh Qb I saw today was playing for NC State. They got themselves a Troy Smith clone.
Pryor's best play was that 3rd & 17 that Robo was out of bounds. Evading the rush, keeping his eyes downfiled, and making a great throw.
I would've liked to see Boom get more carries. I'm starting to like watching him.
Revisiting my pre-game requests.
Boom!
Thought he'd score first. Still, he played well.
Let’s see some risk taking on D!
Meh. Can't enough of Hines. Love that kid. And who stole Coleman's jersey? Whoever it was, that kid has got some good hands!
Let’s see TB holding a clipboard!
An honorable job. Maybe next week Joe can let him wear the headset for a few series.
Let’s see LBiC throw the ball 40 yards downfield!
Twice!
Let’s see Ray Ray continue to meet his freshman expectations!
I said expectations, not reality.
Let’s see Mike Adams @ LT!
Maybe next week.
Let’s see a sack!
Good one JL!
Let’s see tOSU with more points than the other team when the game is over!
Success!
"The best looking frosh Qb I saw today was playing for NC State. They got themselves a Troy Smith clone."
Yeah, that's not the same NC State team I watched during that awful NC State/South Carolina game. That score surprised me a little. Where were they keeping that kid.
My apologies to any Clowns fans. Well, not really.
Joe Fox, you stole my thunder. The most impressive aspect of TP's game was his sideline demeanor. Every defensive huddle, LiC was in there listening and pumping guys up, he was also at the line of scrimmage for every play the D had. He showed some advanced leadership skills throughout this entire game and as fans, we should be extremely excited for this kid. Wait until he feels comfortable with the entire playbook, it is going to be sick.
Also, it struck me funny today, on a team that has 20 starters back, they had a freshman center, QB and RB today.
Corey, excellent point. It's funny how when the battle starts, most plans go straight out the window. Like Tressel says, you win with people. I'm just glad he finally got rid of Boecks. Probably saved several assistant coaches jobs with that move. Go Bucks.
"First off, anyone booing Todd Boeckman ought to have their tickets taken away from them, and never given back. I don’t care who you think should start, or play - the kid doesn’t deserve that. We’re not Browns fans. Show some class."
Well said, Joe. I didn't get to se the game today but saw that highlight. Very, very disappointed. Everybody knows Pryor should be playing, but there is no need to treat one of our own like that.
"Probably saved several assistant coaches jobs with that move."
I'd hope that if Tressel sees assistant coaches that aren't performing, that he'll show them the door. In his interview today after the game, he seemed to be somewhat sarcastic and fiesty, so it looks like he's getting as irritated with the performance of the team as the fans are. One of the reporters asked him, "So is Pryor the starting QB?" and his answer was, "Didn't you just watch the game?"
He followed up with a few more answers that seemed to be laced with a touch of sarcasm also.
I definitely feel for Boeckman as a person and I'm impressed with how he's handled his apparent demotion after spending 5 years waiting for an opportunity that is now probably gone.
And even as a "classless" Browns fan, I don't think it's right to boo Todd like that. Despite making the university millions of dollars, these are still 20-something year-old kids and not paid professionals. I've always felt uneasy about booing college athletes and even though I feel every OSU fan's frustration with Boeckman, I believe the boo-birds crossed a line today.
That being said, the shotput he threw at Hartline's feet today just reiterated why he should be on the sideline and not on the field.
And will Tressel please stop calling plays like the game is being played in a blizzard?
I also agree with your comments Joe Fox, regarding Todd Boeckman. There is no need to boo this kid(it should have been said, "don't 'boo' like Michigan fans" instead of Brown's fans). He's feeling bad enough. No need to pile on. He is a college player, not a pro. How would you feel if you were him or his parents? He showed great graciousness considering the circumstances.
Having said that, I believe Tressel made the right move replacing him with Pryor. Pryor is one of those players that makes everyone around him better(hello OSU offensive line!). He even makes the OSU defense better by keeping them off the field(how many missed tackles were there on Troy's only TD?).
This OSU defense is the biggest disappoint of the season so far. I thought this group would be dominant with all of the returners but they are very average.
One thing I did like to see though was when Troy was backed up on their own 2 yard line in the second half and the announcers said that the OSU Defensive front four were ALL SMALLER BUT FASTER DEFENSIVE ENDS. And you know what? We ALMOST sacked Troy in the end zone! We actually got PENETRATION on the Troy O-line! Amazing!
I'm starting to believe the "Speed myth"(or lack of it, regarding OSU linemen) when I hear the SEC "speed kills" homers.
I was glad to see so many of the 5-star freshman O-lineman playing. Keep playing Brewster, Adams, Shugarts and Smith(sophomore) more! They are the future!
I am very impressed with Shawn Lane! This kid plays with HEART(lacking on this team) and makes big plays. Kudos to Coleman also for a great game on D.
Last, I would like to plug my favorite Buckeye, DANE SANZENBACKER, to get more playing time. If Tressel would let this kid play more with TP at QB, he may remind many of Anthony Gonzalez.
I have not been impressed with Ray Small(TD run vs Ohio, aside). Give Dane, WAshington and Posey more playing time. They are the future WRs.
I disagree with you Joe Fox though, on OSU's final record. I'd be shocked if we lost more than 2 games. I think PSU and Wisconsin will be tough wins, but we should have Beanie back by then, hopefully.
One other thing: Tressel has NEVER been known to be sarcastic. I heard his comment also(regarding the starting QB). I think Tress feels the pressure now after last week's horrible performance. Heacock and Bollman should also.
I was happy to see the changes on the field today with QB as well. TP is going to be something special. I was a bit disappointed with the playcalling on the offensive side of the ball still but I'm hoping that playbook will open up more as TP develops..
Still very disappointed in the defense though.. they just look very very average out there.. there were a lot of missed tackles on the day.. I will give them props because they played to stop the spread and it worked somewhat given that we didnt get too many points racked up on us.. gives me promise against the illini for later in the year..
As for Tressel showing sarcasm.......more please if warranted. Maybe he is coming out of his recent coma. I'd like to see a more feisty, animated Tressel. He was beginning to resemble those robots you see at Disney. As for the game, great job Pryor! I like what I hear about his sideline demeanor.
Jason, thanks for the thoughtful article. [sorry in advance for the long post; just got to typing]... As I have been reading the "rounds" on the blogs and boards, it seems there is a split of opinion on the D (see the comments here above). Some are saying "was good"; some are saying "it's awful."
A thought: maybe do the UFR of the defense this week (and, unless it's done, might as well skip it for the USC game). But I am very interested to see who's good/bad on this defense and how bad is Heacock really? or are the media-hyped three-stars just not up to it? Your past Offense UFRs have been very helpful in pointing out the failings of Person, for example, and others on the offense and the O-Line in particular. Without details, the average fan is just getting impressions.
So, your UFRs are very much appreciated and invaluable.
So, again, a pitch for a Defensive UFR. To quote BuckeyeDude above: "... the announcers said that the OSU Defensive front four were ALL SMALLER BUT FASTER DEFENSIVE ENDS. And you know what? We ALMOST sacked Troy in the end zone! We actually got PENETRATION on the Troy O-line!" Others have, here and there, commented that our D-Line is smaller than the OSU D-Line of years past. Some call for a big D-Back or two to just plug holes...
A Defense UFR might offer some clues. From my view, it DID seem like there was a difference when Troy was backed up; there was that "fire" we have all been wanting to see (and haven't seen); that "attacking" we saw under Dantonio (whose MSU team of 2-3 stars is sure looking more fired up than ours).... what was that all about when Troy was backed up? Different players? Different formation(s)? Different call(s)?
A few thoughts on the Offense: obviously a really great day and Pryor is the future helping to salve the past (which was just a week ago); see final comment below. But still very very concerned about the O-Line; was Brewster as bad as Joe Fox above thought (he looked "alright"; damning with faint praise). And this was TROY; if the O-Line was just "alright" against Troy, my god, Pryor will be running for his life -- or hopefully downfield -- against MSU, PSU and Wiscy.
and ... sigh... to echo a thought from above, can anyone offer any sort of explanation for the fact that so many freshmen are making GIANT contributions ... i mean, don't get me wrong, not at all complaining and thank goodness for the recruiting... but since JL and all the rest decided not to jump to the NFL in February, the Koolaid has been "veterans" and "experience" and "leadership" and all of those things = NC. Now it seems that the truth is that the team we saw against LSU is exactly the underperformer we saw last week against USC. Why didn't the team get better?
On our S&C staff, I thought we had a new SC Coordinator; I thought he was supposed to be great; I thought we had an answer to the Cult of Barwis. No?
Finally, for all of those wanting to throw Tressel under the bus last week, give him credit for putting the three freshmen in as starters. Herron (> MoWells and Saine) and Pryor (> TB) proved themselves better and JT is starting them. This should actually HELP recruiting, I would think. If you really ARE better, you'll start. I don't think we'll be hurt by the Collapse in the Colliseum (sp?) in the long run recruiting-wise.
One last "hrr rah!" for Pryor. In a mere seven days, he's stopped the insessant (sp?) talk about the Collapse and the previous big losses. The media now has something else to discuss concerning the Buckeyes. Yeah Pryor!
Sorry, one last thing: I think everyone should really stop complaining about JT's playcalling; from what I can tell, there are few complaints when he wins ... "In Tressel we Trust" and all that. Stop complaining when he loses.
It's all a package. He is what he is and he'll remain what he is. You live by your coach (to the tune of 75-76 wins in 8 years) and you die by your coach. The "package" that is "Tressel" is, what is it, a .760 something winning percentage package? 76 wins and 16 losses, whatever that adds up to... and just like RichRod is a coach that needs certain types of players for his system, JT is a coach that has a very particular SYSTEM and his SYSTEM does not win without the right players. TB was not the right player for JT's SYSTEM; Pryor is clearly more the "right" player. If you demand that JT change his SYSTEM, you are throwing the baby out with the bathwater. We saw an excellent exemplar of Tressel's SYSTEM in the fourth quarter against TROY. It clearly works with Pryor under center. (as an aside, sadly, I am not sure that JT's SYSTEM has the right players on the D-side of the ball.)
But, again, JT is not going to change his play calling because he has as much a system as RichRod. Stop expecting something different; you love him when he wins; you're stuck with him when he loses.
BuckeyeBeau, good point about the media now having a new topic when discussing the Buckeyes. That's actually kind of huge.
Also, unfortunately I won't be able to do a UFR for the Troy game b/c it's one of the few games I actually don't have a copy of. BTN gave me NU/OU, instead (Illinois was the one state in the union getting that game on the BTN, sadly).
Hey Jason: sorry to hear about the no-UFR (for the moment) ... so, Buckeye Nation, somebody MUST have it on tape or dvr or tivo or something!! gotta get it to Jason. Maybe Messr. Cook has it and would be accommodating even tho' he's UM?
BTW, Jason, for future -- or now -- reference, I'm willing to help. I have no real idea how to help, but with some training, maybe I could do some prep work and you (or someone) could do the analysis... I'm a detail kinda guy, so I really would like to see how bad Person was (or wasn't). Let me know... I put my email address in.
Cool, thanks. We'll let you know.
As for games, BuckeyePlanet used to link to torrents (http://www.buckeyeplanet.com/w...), but I don't see any from 2008.
[...] He struck first minutes into the opening quarter, connecting with Rory Nicol for a 13 yard touchdown and followed it up with a 39 yard touchdown to Hartline in the 2nd quarter before finishing with a 38 yard score to Robiskie and another touchdown toss to Hartline, this time for 16 yards to close out the scoring in the Buckeyes’ 28-10 win. [...]