QB/WR Terrelle Pryor ('10 Rose, '11 Sugar MVP)

[osugrad21]

ABJ

Pryor shines in OSU's 28-10 victory Freshman QB sets records in first start
By George M. Thomas
Beacon Journal sports writer
POSTED: 07:13 p.m. EDT, Sep 20, 2008

COLUMBUS:The Terrelle Pryor era began with a bang today as Ohio State defeated Troy 28-10 at Ohio Stadium.
After quarterback Todd Boeckman's shaky performance last week against USC, his playing time was reduced in favor of freshman phenom Pryor, who took the reins of an Ohio State offense that has struggled the past two weeks.
''Going into the game, we knew that we were going to start him as long as the situation wasn't back on our own 3 or something,'' Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel said.
Tressel had said earlier in the week that time would be split 50-50 between the two. It didn't quite turn out that way, as Pryor impressed in his debut.
He completed 10-of-16 passes for 139 yards and ran for 66 yards on 14 carries. He set an OSU freshman record for touchdown passes in a game with four.
''It was feeling to me like Terrelle was having some rhythm, making some plays with his feet and wanting to get to throw the ball a little bit,'' Tressel said of the decision to play Pryor the majority of the time.
''And I like to ease guys into those things. I don't like to practice on game days, if you know what I mean, but I thought he did a good job and. . .feel the situation and make decisions accordingly.''
Pryor made it easy for any skeptics to see just why he was the hottest commodity during the last recruiting season.
On one play, he felt the rush coming from his left side, tucked the ball and spun away. He gathered himself, avoided yet another defender, looked downfield and fired a pass to wide receiver Brian Robiskie. It didn't count, though, because Robiskie stepped out of bounds and came back to make the catch.
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[osugrad21]

CPD

Ohio State football: Terrelle Pryor gallery and notes

by Doug Lesmerises Saturday September 20, 2008, 4:44 PM

D.L.Terrelle Pryor sings Carmen Ohio with Brian Hartline (9) after the game.
In Ohio State's 28-10 win over Troy Terrelle Pryor became the first freshman quarterback to start for Ohio State since Art Schlichter in 1978.
His four touchdown passes set a record for OSU freshmen.
He finished 10 of 16 for 139 yards, four touchdowns and an interception on a heave into the endzone at the end of the first half.
Brian Hartline, Brian Robiskie, Brandon Smith and Rory Nicol each caught two passes from him.
Pryor played 54 snaps, Joe Bauserman three in mopup duty and Todd Boeckman two.
"I thought I messed up a lot," Pryor said. 'When we sit down in the film room, I'm going to get yelled at but that's a good thing. We all need to keep improving going into the Big Ten schedule."
Other photos:
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[BUCKYLE]

I'd pay good vcash to see a youtube clip of Terrelle being interviewed as he walked off the field against Troy. This guy is special.

 

[osugrad21]

Canton

A stellar start for OSU's Pryor
Freshman QB throws four TDs, including two to Hartline
Sunday, September 21, 2008
BY MIKE POPOVICH
[email protected]

COLUMBUS Terrelle Pryor's breakout day came sooner than some thought.

For a team still smarting from a decisive beating, it may have arrived just in the nick of time.

Pryor became the first Ohio State true freshman in 30 years to start at quarterback Saturday and threw four touchdown passes to lead the Buckeyes to a 28-10 victory over Troy. The four TDs broke Art Schlichter's single-game freshman record set in 1978.

Buckeyes Head Coach Jim Tressel played Pryor sporadically in Ohio State's first three games, more so in the first half of last week's 35-3 defeat at Southern Cal.

He was on the field practically the whole day against Troy and threw touchdown passes to Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline in the fourth quarter to help the Buckeyes break it open.

Pryor approached his first start with a cool demeanor and took control, just as he did many times in high school and just as he will many times in the years to come.

"I don't want to be cocky, but I've been making plays my whole life," Pryor said. "I'm just glad I'm helping out as much as I can here."

Pryor starting did not come as too big a shock. How much he played was a bit of a surprise.

Tressel said this week he was planning to give Pryor and Todd Boeckman the same amount of snaps. Boeckman took one on the game's opening drive that ended with Pryor throwing a 13-yard touchdown pass to Rory Nicol.

Boeckman took just two more snaps, both in the second quarter. The fifth-year senior, who made 16 straight starts before Saturday, was booed after a pass intended for Hartline fell incomplete. Pryor replaced him right away."It was a feeling to me like Terrelle was having some rhythm, making some plays with his feet and wanting to get to throw the ball a little bit," Tressel said. "And I like to ease guys into those things.

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[osugrad21]

Dispatch

Baby steps
Freshman shows he belongs on the big stage
Sunday, September 21, 2008 3:46 AM
By Ken Gordon


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

JONATHAN QUILTER | Dispatch
Besides throwing for four touchdowns, Terrelle Pryor gave Ohio State an added running threat, gaining 66 yards.

JONATHAN QUILTER | Dispatch
Tight end Rory Nicol reaches up to grab a 13-yard touchdown pass on Ohio State's first possession.

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/multimedia/audio_slideshows/2008/09/osu092008/index.html

The bright afternoon sun yesterday in Ohio Stadium glinted off the Buckeyes' shiny new toy, and the effect was dazzling. One week removed from a dark weekend in Los Angeles, the Buckeyes were led back to the light by freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor. With Pryor starting for the first time, his arm and legs were too much for Troy in a 28-10 victory.
Pryor threw four touchdown passes and added 66 yards rushing. The TDs tied the school record for a freshman quarterback -- for an entire season. Art Schlichter had four in 1978.
Thirteenth-ranked OSU improved to 3-1; Troy is 2-1.
Pryor didn't win the game single-handedly; the Buckeyes defense limited a high-powered Troy offense, and punter A.J. Trapasso pinned the Trojans deep at a key juncture.
But needless to say, it was a coming-out party for Pryor, the nation's top-rated recruit, who was told yesterday morning that he would get the nod over sixth-year senior Todd Boeckman.
"I don't want to be cocky, but I've been making plays my whole life," Pryor said. "I'm just glad I'm helping out a little bit."
A little bit? What about a play early in the fourth quarter with Troy hanging tough at 14-10:
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[TheIronColonel]

Just a quick glance at the numbers:

8.7 YPA rushing (anything over 8 is fantastic at any level)
205.4 QB rating (yeah, the NCAA number is goofy. It translates to a 103.9 NFL rating)
4.7 YPA rushing

All of which confirms what we already know: he's a BAMF.

 

[osugrad21]

Dispatch

Bob Hunter commentary: Pryor's play makes Tressel's prior statements a moot point

Sunday, September 21, 2008 3:46 AM
By Bob Hunter
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/multimedia/audio_slideshows/2008/09/osu092008/index.html



When Jim Tressel was asked yesterday whether freshman Terrelle Pryor is now Ohio State's starting quarterback, he felt the question had already been answered. "That's past tense," he said.
Past tense? Wow. Good answer. A new era officially begins with the turn of a phrase. While the OSU coach can be the king of obfuscation -- his verbal bob and weave in explaining how Pryor ended up playing so much against Troy was a Picasso of confusion -- he couldn't have been clearer about where this goes from here.
Tressel has closed the door on the drubbing at Southern California, the struggle against Ohio, and all the bad vibes of the previous weeks. While it's a little soon to give a freshman his own "era," it was plain from what happened yesterday that the Buckeyes have embarked upon a new season that will bear Pryor's flamboyant signature.
The 50-50 playing time split Tressel had predicted for Pryor and sixth-year senior Todd Boeckman turned into a huge divide in the 28-10 win over Troy, with Boeckman getting just two of 59 snaps in relief of the freshman. The team is Pryor's now, and barring either serious injury or abject failure, there is probably no going back. Nor should there be.
The move speaks volumes about what Tressel thinks not only about Pryor, but the team that surrounds him. Boeckman is a good player. He quarterbacked an 11-2 team that made it to the national championship game a year ago, and although he wasn't sharp in OSU's first three games, his biggest sin was being a slow-footed QB playing behind a porous offensive line and in front of a fleet kid who looks every bit the phenom.
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[osugrad21]

Blade

Pryor?s first start a successful one
Buckeyes freshman tosses 4 TD passes
By MATT MARKEY
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
COLUMBUS ? Picasso?s first creation probably looked a little like finger painting. Frank Lloyd Wright?s earliest architectural designs likely got rejected. And Baryshnikov?s initial Arabesque no doubt did not have the straightest lines ballet has seen.

But Terrelle Pryor?s first start at quarterback for Ohio State ? that was a near masterpiece, all things considered, a work of art.

The 6-6, 235-pound Pryor, who was the nation?s top high school player last season, threw a freshman record four touchdown passes yesterday and operated the Buckeyes? offense with an air of confidence that was inconsistent with his lack of experience, leading No. 13 Ohio State to a 28-10 win over Troy.

Pryor, the first freshman to start at quarterback for the Buckeyes since Art Schlichter in 1978, was 10-of-16 passing for 139 yards, and also rushed 14 times for 66 yards.

Ohio State coach Jim Tressel had indicated just a couple of days earlier that he intended for Pryor to split the playing time against Troy with senior Todd Boeckman, in a roughly 50-50 fashion. Boeckman, who had started the last 16 games, was in for two plays yesterday, and accounted for zero yards.

?Going into the game, we knew we were going to start Terrelle, but we also felt as if there were some things Todd had been
doing better and we wanted to get him in there early,? Tressel said.
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[osugrad21]

BN$--Pryor Stars In First Career Start

BSB$--Pryor has record-setting debut

More breakdown and quotes from TP's first start as a Buckeye

 

[osugrad21]

Newark

College Football: Pryor rewards Tressel's trust with 4 scores

By Jon Spencer ? September 21, 2008
Ellen Tressel can rest easier. Her husband is not having an affair with some mysterious woman named Nicole.

"I'm thinking ... who's she? Did she play?" joked Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel after a reporter mispronounced tight end Rory Nicol's name Saturday. "My wife's upstairs. I did not go see Nicole. I want to make that clear."
If Tressel is honeymooning with anyone, it's his new No. 1 quarterback. He sacked senior captain Todd Boeckman, all but slipped a ring on the finger of ballyhooed freshman Terrelle Pryor and watched this marriage made in hell (USC style) go off with few hitches.
It took one start for Pryor to throw four touchdowns and break Art Schlichter's school freshman record for touchdown passes in a game. Two came in the fourth quarter as the Buckeyes pulled away from the men of Troy, deep south division, 28-10.
Wedded bliss doesn't get much better than this.
Whether the bond between player and coach remains tight through thick and thin, for better or worse, remains to be seen. We'll probably have a better read on this relationship in two weeks when the Buckeyes forage for a more meaningful victory in Camp Randall.
If Pryor can do the hokey-pokey on the Badgers, talk of salvaging a season can really turn serious.
"I've got to improve on a lot of things," Pryor said after accounting for all four OSU touchdowns and 205 of the Buckeyes' 309 yards of total offense (139 passing, 66 rushing). "There's too much to say, too much to explain how much better I can do."


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[osugrad21]

Link

No Pryor restraint: Ohio State freshman quarterback gets his big chance, throws four touchdown passes in win over Troy

Shaun Bennett | The Chronicle-Telegram


COLUMBUS ? It appears the Buckeyes have closed the book on Todd Boeckman and rolled out the red carpet for Terrelle Pryor.
After a week of practices in which Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said the two quarterbacks would evenly split time in Saturday?s game against Troy, it was Pryor who was awarded his first career start and Boeckman who took just two snaps.
The freshman responded by throwing four touchdown passes ? an Ohio State freshman record ? and rushing for 66 yards as the Buckeyes came away with a 28-10 victory.
?I wish Todd would have gotten to play more,? Tressel said. ?In fact, I showed him my sheet and I had written out a whole column of Todd plays that I wanted him to be able to do today.?
Instead, Boeckman handed the ball off to freshman running back Dan ?Boom? Herron on his first play of the game ? the Buckeyes? sixth of the opening drive ? and bounced a pass intended for junior Brian Hartline in the grass about 5 yards in front of the receiver early in the second quarter.
?Todd went in there for an early one and had to check out of it because the look wasn?t right,? Tressel said. ?A little bit later he went in to do something that we had planned for and just didn?t execute it. It was feeling to me like Terrelle was having some rhythm, making some plays with his feet and waiting to get to throw the ball a little bit.?
Boeckman looked shaken after the game and didn?t raise his eyes from the floor when delivering his opening statement. He was later asked if he was disappointed only being in for two plays.
?After getting a win like this against a great team, I?m really excited about that,? Boeckman said. ?I?m happy for Terrelle, he had a great day. I?m excited for this team and for him.?
When the forum questions ended and players were allowed to field individual questions from reporters, Boeckman stood up and made a beeline out the door
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[Buckeyefrankmp]

Couldn't believe on some of the long passes how he could kind of throw while moving with very little technique and still have absolute cannon passes.

I would not call some of those passes cannons. He looked like he was tossing them up there. He needs to step into the throws and put some zip on them. Other than that, I liked the fact he was throwing the ball deeper. Hopefully this will keep the defense from stacking the box and open up some running lanes for him.

 

[daddyphatsacs]

I would not call some of those passes cannons. He looked like he was tossing them up there. He needs to step into the throws and put some zip on them. Other than that, I liked the fact he was throwing the ball deeper. Hopefully this will keep the defense from stacking the box and open up some running lanes for him.

What was the end result? I don't give two shits about how they get there........just as along as they hit the intended target. Danny Wuerfel had one of the biggest moon ball throws in college football, he ended up doing pretty well I think. I am really amazed by how accurate Pryor is, he is a super talented football player. A once in a decade type player....... (maybe two decades).

 

[Ballard4Heisman]

I'd pay good vcash to see a youtube clip of Terrelle being interviewed as he walked off the field against Troy. This guy is special.

Ohio State Video, Ohio State Football Highlights, Ohio State Basketball Highlights - Big Ten Network

 

[strohs]

Pryor made some frosh mistakes, like the sack at the end of the 1st half, but zero* turnovers was what impressed me most.


* I know he threw the one pick, but that gets a pass due to the situation in which it was thrown