Whether hero or villain, Terrelle Pryor accepts that he's the star attraction of OSU-Penn State
By Doug Lesmerises, The Plain Dealer
November 04, 2009
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Everyone can't help but make Ohio State vs. Penn State about Terrelle Pryor. Having a bad guy in college football is just too much fun.
Ohio State's sophomore quarterback is stoking the fires of the rivalry that matters most in the Big Ten at the moment -- the one between the teams that have accounted for the last four Big Ten titles -- just by breathing.
Pryor is from Pennsylvania. Home state school Penn State was in his final four, maybe the final two, of his college choices. He didn't pick the Nittany Lions. He selected Ohio State. In explaining his decision to come to Columbus instead of State College, he described Penn State as "too country" and said, "I don't like the area."
That was more than enough. Starting with unofficial recruiting visits in ninth grade, Pryor said he has been in Beaver Stadium at least 10 times in his life, but never as the enemy, and that's what he'll feel on Saturday.
"It's more than him just being the opposing quarterback," said Matt Brown, the football editor for Penn State's student newspaper, The Daily Collegian, explaining how fans view Pryor. "It's definitely a little more personal. Obviously, people wanted him here. With some of the comments he made about Penn State when he chose Ohio State, there's kind of a chip on their shoulder."
