Filed under: Ohio State, Big 10
After getting embarrassed by the USC Trojans two weeks ago, there were plenty of people in Columbus saying that Terrelle Pryor should take over the starting quarterback job, and that Todd Boeckman should be relegated to clipboard holding. Well, as I said at the time, if Jim Tressel wanted to give his freshman phenom a shot, it would be best to do it in the Buckeyes two games against Troy and Minnesota before moving on to face Wisconsin.
Well, Jim listened to me (or himself, whatever) and Pryor played nearly every snap last Saturday, and though the Buckeyes sputtered in the first half, Terrelle threw four touchdowns in Ohio State's victory. It looks like coach Tressel liked what he saw, because he's named Terrelle the starter this weekend against the Golden Gophers.
"I would call Terrelle the starting quarterback," Tressel told The Repository. "I don't know that that means 95 percent of the snaps or 65 percent, or whatever. But I would consider him that.
"From a knowledge standpoint, he's further along than I've ever seen a freshman quarterback. Then you add the dimension of what he can do with his feet, maybe it makes up a little bit for when you're a little shorthanded at running back compared to what you thought you were going to be. ... What's important is we do what we think is the best thing that can help us at the moment."
All of this combined with the fact that Beanie Wells should be returning this week, and now maybe the Buckeyes can start playing like the team everybody thought they were. You know the Trojans are hoping they do.
