Buckeyes rely more on Pryor, less on runners

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

Ohio State, home to Woody Hayes and “three yards and a cloud of dust,” built a lot of its black-and-blue tradition on a big offensive line controlling the front wall and a tailback bedeviling the defense.

But things have changed.

Now the second-ranked Buckeyes are allowing quarterback Terrelle Pryor more freedom to determine what direction the offense takes — often resulting in a diminished role for the tailbacks.

It’s not as if Ohio State (4-0) has gone to the run-and-shoot. And it’s not as if all the Buckeyes do is pass or have Pryor run.

But make no mistake, the current attack rests firmly on the right arm and feet of Pryor — or, more accurately, his brain. More and more plays come down to Pryor making a decision after he gets the snap.

“We feel as if the ‘step up and run’ part of the game is a huge part of our pass game,” coach Jim Tressel said.

Heading into the Big Ten opener at Illinois, Ohio State has passed for 1,066 yards while rushing for 961, and Tressel believes a lot of those yards on the ground should be credited to Pryor running out of a called pass play.

Pryor has been accurate when throwing the ball (66 percent completion rate, 10 TDs and two interceptions). He’s fast and hard to bring down when he takes off. Maybe that’s why Ohio State coaches give him more leeway.

Not only is Pryor Ohio State’s leading rusher with 269 yards, he’s also carrying it more often than the tailbacks. Starter Brandon Saine has gradually seen his carries cut (he only had three attempts on Saturday against Eastern Michigan) and No. 2 tailback Dan Herron is only averaging 10.5 carries a game.

There’s no question that the Saine and Herron see where this is headed.

Saine even faced this question: “Is Ohio State a passing school now?”

“Yeah, I think we have the ability to do both,” Saine said.

Tressel believes Pryor is a weapon that must be used.

He can almost picture the dilemma facing a defensive coordinator gameplanning against a dual-threat quarterback like Pryor.

“The discussion would be, ‘We’ve got to not let this guy out the gate but on the other hand, we can’t have so many guys hanging around keeping him in that we let him have free lanes to throw the football,”’ Tressel said. “It would be hard to refute that if your quarterback can keep plays alive ... that adds a lot more pressure.”