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Home > Blogs > Buckeyes Beat > Archives > 2008 > October > 19
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Lack of passing game puzzling
Ohio State flexed its muscle in dismantling Michigan State on Saturday, rolling to a 45-7 win. But there was still a somewhat troubling aspect to the Buckeyes’ victory.
Yes, Terrelle was terrific, and Beanie was a beast. But that duo is still too susceptible to negative-yardage plays, and that could easily cost the Buckeyes in some bigger games.
Opponents feel like they can tee off on the Buckeyes’ ground game because there’s very little consequences for guessing wrong. It’s amazing, really, that Pryor (72 yards on 12 rushes) and Wells (141 on 31) were as successful as they were since foes pretty much knew that one or the other was going to get the ball.
But there’s a solution to this increasingly predictable offense: Turn Terrelle loose.
I know he’s only a freshman, and there’s still a lot of the offense left to absorb. But even though coaches tend to make football as complicated as splitting atoms, I believe Pryor could bite off a little more of the passing game without messing up his progress.
He finished 7-of-11 passing for 116 yards against the Spartans. Eleven attempts! Most QBs uncork that many throws just trying to avoid taking a sack.
Coach Jim Tressel seems to trust Pryor with low-risk swing passes and deep bombs where interceptions are tolerable because they’re virtually the same as a punt. But he’s ready for more than that.
Tressel needs to allow him to loosen up defenses with some intermediate throws. If not, the Buckeyes aren’t going to survive against the likes of Penn State.
This can be a Big Ten championship season. The offense has some weapons. It’s time for Tressel to use all of them.
