Tressel pleased with scrimmage

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

In the scrimmage held every August between Ohio State’s offensive and defensive units, the Buckeyes ran 140 plays and scored one touchdown.

And that was enough to win.

Amazingly, that was fine with coach Jim Tressel.

“Whenever you have fireworks, I think you’ve got some problems,” he said Saturday after more than 150 minutes of action resulted in just one trip to the end zone.

Terrelle Pryor, singled out by many publications as a front-runner in the Heisman Trophy race, didn’t do much all day before connecting with Taurian Washington on a 25-yard touchdown pass for the lone touchdown. But the offense ended up winning not because it made plays but because it only had one turnover — Brandon Saine’s fumble.

Even though the offense was largely ineffective, things seemed to be weighted its way. No one was saying that was because Tressel coaches on the offensive side.

“The scrimmage is set up in the offense’s favor,” said cornerback Devon Torrence, one of several regulars to sit out the scrimmage with a minor injury. “But defensively, those are the type of disadvantages you’re going to have. You’ve got to work through them and try to come out on top. We have for the past two years.”

The defense had won the last two scrimmages, thus earning the right to wear scarlet jerseys in practice all season.

“We’re mad,” defensive end Cameron Heyward said. “Man, I haven’t lost that jersey since freshman year.”

The practice was Ohio State’s 20th since camp opened on Aug. 8.

The Buckeyes were to get Sunday off before their final two-a-day workout on Monday. They’ll practice on Tuesday and Wednesday and then get some more time off before going through a typical work week before opening their season on Sept. 2 against Marshall.

Offensive guard Justin Boren said no one on the offense was gloating about winning the scrimmage.

“Not really. I think everybody’s pretty tired. We’ve had a long two weeks of camp,” he said. “I think guys are just happy to get this 24 hours off.”

Tressel said heat and high humidity had worn down the players. As a result, there weren’t a lot of high or low points.

“No one will have graded out of this world and, just by the looks of it, no one will have one of those days where they didn’t do anything right,” Tressel said.

The scrimmage took place before just a few hundred spectators in cavernous Ohio Stadium, also the site of the unprecedented Thursday night game to open the season.

Other than the outcome, the next most significant thing out of the scrimmage was that several top players did not play or only played sparingly.