Mallett excited to take on Buckeyes

Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS

These guys could’ve faced each other in one of college football’s great rivalries.

Instead, they’ve had to wait three years for their showdown.

Finally, it’s Terrelle Pryor vs. Ryan Mallett.

“It’s pretty interesting, isn’t it?” Arkansas defensive end Damario Ambrose said Saturday. “It’s like a battle of the pocket passer against the scrambler.”

Indeed, the contrasting styles — Arkansas’ Mallett is a classic drop-back quarterback, Ohio State’s Pryor can beat defenses with his arm or his legs — would be enough to make Tuesday night’s Sugar Bowl an extremely compelling matchup.

But there’s more.

Mallett started his college career at Michigan, which just happens to be the biggest rival for the No. 6 Buckeyes (11-1).

And Pryor is clearly on a mission after the NCAA ruled he and four teammates must serve a five-game suspension next season for selling off rings, uniforms and awards, not to mention getting discounts on tattoos from an ink parlor in Columbus.

Already a beacon for controversy, Pryor acknowledges a further tarnishing of his legacy with this latest development.

“I’ve got to come up with some type of plan for next year because I’m going to have a five-game suspension,” he said. “That’s really messed up some of the things I wanted to accomplish.

“As of right now, all I can do is just keeping winning as much as possible, leading my team as much as I can. I guess I’ll leave the rest to everybody else.”

Pryor insists his long-stated plan of returning to Ohio State for his senior season won’t change because of the suspension, even though it will keep him out of nearly half the games and make it impossible for him to match this year’s numbers: passing for a career-best 2,551 yards and 25 touchdowns, and rushing for 639 yards and four more scores.

“Once you pledge to do something, I think you’ve got to keep your word,” Pryor said.

Mallett has thrown for more than 7,000 yards since transferring to No. 8 Arkansas (10-2), but a BCS pairing with Ohio State has sparked a renewed focus on where he began his college career.

The 6-foot-6 Mallett initially signed with Michigan, starting three games as a true freshman in 2007. He even played sparingly in that year’s finale against the Buckeyes, completing just one pass in a 14-3 loss. Still, that was enough to give him a good sense of just how much bitterness exists between the Big Ten rivals.

“It got ingrained in my system, so I think it still stuck with me for a while,” he said. “I don’t go to Michigan anymore, but I know what it’s like going into that and getting prepared for that game.”

His reaction when he found out he’d get another shot at the Buckeyes?

“I just had a big smile on my face,” Mallett replied. “It’s a great way to end the season.”

He left Ann Arbor after Rich Rodriguez became the Wolverines coach, bringing along a spread offense that didn’t fit with Mallett’s strengths as a pocket passer.