SoCal;1253448; said:
As a USC fan, I'm not worried about Boeckman or Beanie- Boeckman is an above average pocket passer but does not make good decisions under pressure, and Beanie is a great back but our LB's will do a good job limiting him.
The only way you should not be worrying about Beanie is if he is not on the field or can't play. He is mentioned as a Heisman candidate for a reason. The kid is special, he can carry the offense, even when the D knows he is coming. Now if our o-line doesn't show up then its moot but I would not worry about Pryor before Beanie.
I don't mean to diminish Beanie in any way, I think he's earned the respect, but I still think Pryor is a bigger threat because he completely changes the way the defense has to play. Beanie's success depends on how well the line blocks for him- if he had played against OU I don't think he would have had much more success than the other Wells or Saine, cuz the O-line stunk it up for three quarters. I mean, I think running backs are always over-rated whether it be in college or NFL- the O-line's performance dictates the success of the running game. So unless Beanie can shoot laser beams out of his um... eyes, or has a 10 foot vertical leap, I think he can be limited by a good D-line and LB corps- which USC possesses. That's all I'm saying. I think McKnight and Co. will also have a difficult time running against the OSU front 7, and so the determing factor to me is quarterback play.
Boeckman is in his 6th year and hasn't shown he can play well against top-ranked defenses. He's a good QB, but not great- similar to John Booty at USC last year. Pryor will be a Heisman winner one day, and if I were Tressel, it would be dumb not to put him in the mix against USC. Sure there's pressure, but if TB struggles, I don't think there is really a choice. Pryor will pick up yards with his feet. Simple.
On a separate note- it seems like if OSU loses, there are going to be several thousand people on suicide watch in Ohio- it's not the end of the season, and certainly not the end of the world. Didn't last season teach you anything? Bucks can lose this one and still have a great shot at the NC or good Bowl game. Same goes for USC.