Pryor expected back in lineup

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

All of Ohio was on edge on Saturday afternoon and it had nothing to do with the hotly contested upcoming statewide elections.

This was serious stuff: Ohio State was on the ropes.

The second-ranked Buckeyes led 14-10 midway through the second half at Illinois with standout quarterback Terrelle Pryor in the locker room getting treatment for an injured leg.

It was then that coach Jim Tressel decided to control the ball with his running attack and rely on his defense. It’s an approach that has resulted in lots of wins while confounding critics who believe Tressel plays such games way too close to the sweater vest.

“We kind of got that momentum going with the two-back looks,” Tressel said of his conservative approach after Pryor went out with a strained left thigh muscle. “If there was a moment where we felt like, ‘Hey, we needed to do something movement-wise with Terrelle to make the difference in the game,’ we would have [done it]. But we just didn’t see the need.”

Pryor returned but the Buckeyes were going to play it safe. They were content to feed the ball on almost every snap to physical tailback Dan Herron, who helped Ohio State control the ball for almost 91/2 minutes in the fourth quarter and hang on for a 24-13 victory.

Herron had four carries for 6 yards at halftime, but was called on 19 times in the second half, gaining 89 yards.

It was vintage Tressel: milk the clock, stay on the ground, frustrate the defense, trade field position and make the lead stand up.

“We couldn’t have won that ball game had we not started running the ball better, especially with the nature of that game,” Tressel said after running his Ohio State record to 99-21. “That was an old-fashioned Big Ten slugfest.”

With the Buckeyes (5-0, 1-0) playing host to Indiana (3-1, 0-1) on Saturday, circumstances might force Ohio State to follow that familiar template once again.

After the game Pryor said that the injury limited his effectiveness in the fourth quarter, opening the door to putting the outcome in the hands of the running game.

Tressel said Pryor hasn’t really been tested this week. The Buckeyes went through drills and weight lifting on Sunday, then had Monday off.

“I would expect every day he’ll get closer to 100 percent,” Tressel said of his junior quarterback. “I think he’ll be fine.”