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Football
Tressel Trusting Pryor to Throw More in 2010?
By Brandon Castel

CHICAGO — Legendary coach Woody Hayes won school-record 205 games at Ohio State using the philosophy that only three things happen when teams pass and two of them “ain't good.”

He was so committed to running the football that his “robust” offense was often referred to as “three yards and a cloud of dust,” which of course would have left the Buckeyes with a fourth-and-1 on every possession.

Current OSU coach Jim Tressel isn’t quite as wary of the pass, but the conservative vest-wearer has been known to put the reins on his quarterback from time to time; especially if that player has yet to earn his trust as a passer.

Only once in his nine years in Columbus has Tressel really cut his quarterback loose as a passer, but he could be on the verge of doing it again with third-year starter Terrelle Pryor.

“I would imagine he'll throw more this coming season than he did last season,” Tressel said at the Big Ten Media Luncheon in Chicago Tuesday.

Terrelle Pryor
Photo by Dan Harker

“Terrelle will probably throw a lot more than his sophomore year.”

How much is a lot more? Depends on the beholder. For Tressel it’s all about consistency. Pryor threw the ball 23 times a game last season but had five games in the teens and two in the 30s. He averaged 23.8 attempts per game in the month of October (26.5 if you take away his 13 attempts in the Wisconsin game), but only 17 attempts in the month of November. 

“Terrelle went the last three games of the year a little bit banged up and threw it maybe 15-20 times a game, and he did okay,” said Tressel, who typically relies on his run game down the stretch.

“And then all of a sudden, he had one of those games where he threw it almost 40 times.”

That one game happened to be the Rose Bowl, where Pryor attempted a career-high 37 passes in a 26-17 win over Oregon. He completed 23 of those passes for 266 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His 62.2 completion percentage in Pasadena was his third highest of the season, trailing only the Iowa (82.4) and Navy (66.7) games.

Pryor also had a handful of games last season where his completion percentage was below 50 percent, including big games against USC (44), Wisconsin (38.5) and Penn State (47.1). His worst game of the year came at Purdue, where he completed 54 percent of his passes but threw two interceptions, fumbled twice and was sacked five times in a 26-18 loss.

But he got better as the season progressed, putting the Purdue game behind him and using it to become the player we saw in the Rose Bowl on January 1st. More importantly, he earned the trust of his coach by throwing eight touchdowns and just three interceptions over the final six games of the season.

“Hopefully he'll progress to being that third year guy. Now not every moment will look that way and some people will jump all over the moment when it doesn't,” said Tressel, who admitted he could be willing to air it out as many as 35 times a game.

“I think we just have to manage, and hopefully incrementally get better. And I think he'll do that.”

But does Tressel trust Pryor enough to let him throw the ball each week like he did in the Rose Bowl?

Only one of Tressel’s nine previous teams was a pass-first offense. But even 2006, when Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith won the seventh Heisman Trophy in school history, the Buckeyes still finished No. 7 in the Big Ten in pass attempts per game, and ninth during conference play.

In every other season since Tressel took over in 2001, the Buckeyes have been in the bottom three in the Big Ten in attempts, including the last two years in which they finished dead last with Pryor at the helm. Thrust into the starting lineup in week four of his rookie season, Pryor has had to learn on the fly, and the coaching staff has given him just enough to help him grow without jeopardizing the success of the team.

Despite finishing No. 9 in the conference in passing each of the past two seasons, Pryor has led the Buckeyes to a 19-3 record, two Big Ten titles and a pair of BCS bowl games, including the win over Oregon. He’s entering the back half of his career having already amassed more than 4,800 yards and 44 touchdowns, and the Buckeyes are ready to let Pryor do more with his arm as a junior.

“Will there be that dramatic of a jump (in passing)? I doubt if we'll throw it 60, but I think he'll be one of those guys where he'll be a 25-35 passing team,” said Tressel, who enters his 10th season in Columbus.

But the Buckeyes are who they are they. They won a BCS National Championship behind a strong running game, staunch defense and a smart quarterback who can manage the game. Buckeye fans have come to expect that same style of play every season - fondly called Tressel Ball. The one exception to that was 2006 with Troy Smith, who threw 30 touchdown passes that year, but he earned the trust of his coaches by throwing only six interceptions that season. Pryor threw 11 last year as a sophomore.

What does 2010 hold in store for Pryor and the OSU passing game? Co-offensive coordinator Darrell Hazell said the Buckeyes will do whatever it takes to win each game, whether that’s passing 35 times or running it 49 times like they did in their 24-7 win over No. 11 Penn State last season in Happy Valley.

“As a coaching staff, we look at each game individually and we approach each game individually as to what’s the best way to win this football game,” said Hazell, who helps Tressel and Jim Bollman with the game plan each week. 

“We won that Penn State game with a completely different game plan than the Rose Bowl, so each team is its own separate entity and I think you have to prepare that way.”

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