Terrelle Pryor is a lot better than Brian Hoyer

Terrelle Pryor is a lot better than Brian Hoyer
Terrelle Pryor Michigan State 2008

Terrelle Pryor is a lot better than Brian Hoyer

Overstating the obvious, Terrelle Pryor proved to be a lot better than Brian Hoyer today as Ohio State took down Michigan State 45-7. Quarterback Kirk Cousins looked good for the Spartans in the second half but nothing Michigan State did slowed down the defense or the offense of the Buckeyes as Ohio State redeemed themselves against a nationally ranked team.

By Steve Patterson

Passing Game Shows Promise

            Terrelle Pryor passed for huge gains against Michigan State after a Purdue game with no passing offense what-so-ever. If the Ohio State coaches learned anything against Purdue, it was that they needed to pass and they needed to create easy pass situations for Pryor. He passed to Brian Hartline for 56 yards, to Brandon Smith for 21 yards, and Devier Posey for 13 yards on the way to setting an early lead of 21 points in the first quarter.

Wells Runs for 140 Yards

            Chris ‘Beanie’ Wells rolled over a tough Spartan defense gaining 5.8 yards a carry in the first half and 4.5 yards a carry for the full game. With 105 yards and 2 touchdowns in the first half and a total of 140 yards, Wells seemed motivated to show that he is a better running back than Spartan tailback Jevon Ringer. Ringer was only able to put up 66 yards on 16 attempts.

Offensive Line Excels

            The entire Buckeye offensive line was active today and the six men that rotate in had one of their best performances against a team that was thought to be able to stop the Ohio State run. But that wasn’t the case at all through four quarters.

            Tight-end Rory Nicol returned to the starting line-up and helped blocking on the line as the Buckeye offensive line was able to push Michigan State around with the help of some bad calls by the Spartan defense. Although the tight-ends didn’t catch a pass in the game, the blocking for Wells and Pryor was vital to the success of the running game.

Brandon Smith had Solid Game

            Brandon Smith had the half of his life with three catches for 37 yards through two quarters. He was a reliable safe option on the outside for Pryor, picking up needed yards and making first downs to keep drives alive. Coming out of the backfield, Smith showed that Pryor has the ability to move the ball through the air and through to a number of receivers as needed.

Defense Finishes the Game

            The second half of the game was all about defense. With Kirk Cousins replacing Brian Hoyer for most of the half and moving the ball better but the Buckeyes were able to get three additional turnovers and return two of the turnovers for touchdowns. Malcolm Jenkins caused a Cousins’ fumble early in the fourth quarter which Thadius Gibson picked off the back of Cousins and ran 69 yards for a score.           

            Later in the fourth quarter, Blair White fumbled a reception which freshman safety Jermale Hines picked off the turf to return 48 yards for an additional late touchdown.

            In a game that should have been close, Ohio State dominated Michigan State early on both sides of the ball and extended their lead late with great defense and turnovers for scores. With Michigan State entering the game ranked 20th nationally, Ohio State should finally get the boost in the rankings from the 12th spot which has eluded them for several weeks.

 
print


Return
blog comments powered by Disqus