The keys are yours now, Terrelle.
After Todd Boeckman’s struggles opened the door for Terrelle Pryor to supplant him as Ohio State’s starting quarterback, Pryor took full advantage of his opportunity today against Troy, excelling on the ground and in the air as he led the Buckeyes to a 28-10 win.
While Boeckman attempted only one pass, Pryor was 10 of 16 for 139 yards and a school freshman record four touchdown passes, and he also ran for 85 yards.
Two of those four TD tosses came in the fourth quarter, as OSU finally put away a pesky Troy team that trailed only 14-10 at halftime and missed a golden opportunity to get even closer or even go ahead on the opening drive of the second half.
But, more than the tough test they were given and handled, what’s going to make the most headlines on Sunday is Pryor, who’s basically given Tressel no reason not to name him the starter from here. He’s shown so far that he has what it takes to handle the pressure of close games, being a starter, and playing at a place like USC, and he’s showed today that he can make big plays with his arm as much as he can with his legs.
The Buckeyes host Minnesota in their Big Ten opener next week before going to Wisconsin on the first weekend of October, so Pryor will be able to get another start under his belt before he faces the Badgers in a big game for both teams.
But what about Boeckman? If Pryor keeps this up, he may see not be seeing too many snaps for the rest of the season, which puts him in a position where pre-draft workouts/postseason all-star games are all the more important for his draft status.
You can’t make too many judgments based on one start, but if Pryor can indeed keep this up, and Beanie Wells comes back healthy and productive soon, the best could be yet to come from Ohio State’s offense.
