Believed to be the special sauce needed to get Ohio State over the hump, Terelle Pryor has run into a brick wall of poor play, bad decisions, inconsistent line play, a lackluster running game, questionable play calling, lack or progression, and stark indications of regression.
Touted as a Heisman contender, the x-factor, and a once-in-a-generation athlete, Pryor now has the drawn the ire of Buckeye nation with an unfathomable loss to a one-win Purdue team.
There have been more heartbreaking losses, higher profile losses, and even some uglier losses in the Tressel era, but frankly speaking this one was the worst.
What the box scores don’t tell you is that the Buckeyes' supposedly biggest offensive asset has put the team in a hole many times over since becoming the starter more than a year ago. Sometimes the Bucks are able to dig their way out at times aided by Pryor, but unfortunately the holes are becoming more frequent and are getting deeper.
Turnovers on opening drives against Michigan, Purdue, and USC stick out, as does a pivotal fumble late in the game against Penn State and a lackluster effort against Texas, which led to split quarterback duties late in the game.
Thought to be a player who could make the jump to the NFL in three years, Pryor reached a low point today with two interceptions and two fumbles, a deep enough hole that the Buckeyes could not dig themselves out of.
Overlooking the turnovers, many of which were atrocious enough that I’m sure property damage plagued possessions of the Buckeye nation, Pryor’s poor play has created a domino effect that has sunk this team to an uninspiring 5-2 record with the team’s toughest stretch of schedule still on the horizon.
Through a toxic combination of turnovers and lack of first downs, Ohio State’s defense has felt the brunt of Pryor’s poor play.
All to often, given a short field to defend and on the field for the majority of the games, Ohio State’s defense has stood tall most of the season only to be knocked down and sometimes out by mediocre offense's ability to capitalize on the field positon and amount of possessions given to them.
Sure the defense takes some of the blame for the slow start this season but it’s pretty clear they’re living up to their end of the bargain despite being leaned on too hard and too often. They’re just physically wearing down, and you have to wonder what they’re thinking about as they’re sucking air and have to come back to defend a short field after another turnover.
But Pryor’s poor play extends further than just the difficult spots he puts the defense in. The lack of execution in the passing game has allowed defenses to sell effectively sell out stopping the run leading to more passing downs. Poor ball security and propensity to take losses trying to get out of trouble has only further compacted the issue.
Offensive line play can at times bail out a struggling offense, but they’ve been unable to find any consistency in front of Pryor. In fact the lack of rhythm in the offense seems to be a cause for the lines propensity to commit false start penalties. As if this offense was not handicapped enough, three to five times a game the line forces a passing situation on an offense that may be the worst since Tressel came to Columbus. It’s a vicious cycle of ineptitude.
There is no flow, there are no long drives, and Buckeye fans cringe more often than the chains move.
Beyond the turnovers, the pressure it puts on the defense, and so on, the real back breaker is the feeling that the team is unraveling just a bit.
Pryor barks at the play calling and his linemen, a sure fire way to stagnate cohesion on a team. On the sideline, he sits quietly often moping at what’s transgressing. This is a young offense, one without a defined leader and consistent playmaker. At the earliest onset of a struggle, Pryor leads the offense back to the sideline demoralized, upset, and bitter.
We’re a long way from Tressel Ball, yet Tressel finds himself torn on the offensive strategy with Pryor at the helm. Last year with Beanie Wells, there was at pillar to lean on offensively.
This year though, the offense has ebbed and flowed from aggressive to conservative and back again. The most glaring instances of Tressel flip-flopping on the offense can be found in the two losses.
Against USC and Purdue, Tressel opted for field goals when the Bucks were within a yard of the end zone on 4th down. However, both those games saw a Buckeye team with a long field in front of them and the first half winding down. Rather than going into the half with a lead, in both instances Tressel challenged the offense to move the ball.
Incompletions forced punts which begat end of the half field goals. Hindsight is 20-20, but in both instances I rolled my eyes as the Bucks seemingly felt the need to prove something at the end of the half.
Maybe prove that the offense was turning the corner, that Pryor is a quarterback, or that the belittled offense is worthy of your praise. Whatever the case, both instances were rare lapses in Tressel football and decisions that cost the Buckeyes halftime leads in games they eventually lost.
It could be worse though. A loss to Navy was avoided, interceptions have been dropped, and errant pitches on options have been recovered.
If you want a silver lining in all of this, the good news is that there is one. Pryor and the young offense have a LONG way to go and one can argue that at their current pace, they may never get to where they need to be for this team to be a national contender. The good news is they have an eternity to turn the tide and hopefully build cohesion, momentum, and chemistry.
Barring anything unforeseen the majority of this offensive unit will be back next year and 2011 to hopefully erase the memory of what happened today with more positive memories.
At the end of the day, Pryor is our quarterback for better or for worse. Today was a major step backward and although the offense seems to be in disarray, there is talent oozing out from every piece of this team. Whether they mesh and improve over time is anyone’s guess, but with the foul stench of a stinker in their rear view mirror, you’d hope that both Pryor and the coaching staff react positively and dramatically to the ugly awakening call that was shockingly delivered today.
