NOTEBOOK \ Ohio State football

QB controversy: This is a great time for those who enjoy a quarterback controversy. Some of those either/or decisions at QB over the past 20 years — Brett Powers vs. Bobby Hoying, Stanley Jackson vs. Joe Germaine, Steve Bellisari vs. Craig Krenzel, and Krenzel vs. Scott McMullen — didn’t turn out so bad. Others were disasters. Now several columnists and other media types are making the case that the only way coach Jim Tressel can save the Buckeyes’ season is if he either dumps fifth-year senior Todd Boeckman completely, or makes the job a 50-50 proposition with freshman Terrelle Pryor. Years ago, Penn State coach Joe Paterno couldn’t make up his mind between two QBs and he ended up having them split time. The result was a 6-4-1 record in 1984. Joe Pa said he’d never, ever have a job-share at the position again. Now Tressel is faced with the prospect of either phasing out a veteran or at least cutting into his playing time, and blending in the promising but raw Pryor. Stick with the older guy and you may not get much out of the younger one. Go with the younger one and you might have a mutiny from the 40 or so seniors on the roster. There are many tales told, always off the record, about the sniping that has resulted from past QB controversies at OSU.

Reunion time: The 1968 and 1973 national championship teams will be honored at halftime of the game against Troy Saturday.

Honorees: It took some doing, but Ohio State’s coaches did find some positives from Saturday night’s 35-3 pounding at the hands of top-ranked USC. CB Malcolm Jenkins was the Buckeyes’ defensive player of the week, TB Dan Herron was singled out on offense and punter A.J. Trapasso on special teams. Selected from the scout team were: OL Scott Sika on offense, LB Tony Jackson on defense and WR Ryan Schuck on special teams. The staff went with LB James Laurinaitis as the top contributor up front on defense. It says a lot about the game that no offensive lineman of the week was chosen, nor was anyone for a hit of the week.

Associated Press