12/9/08
The new era under Terrelle Pryor’s leadership officially begins winning September 5th. The hybrid talents of the most sought-after recruit of ‘08 were proven in many trials-by-fire – his arm turned out to be better than departee Boeckman’s, and his feet made Pryor the Buckeye’s second-leading rusher. Now, in Ohio’s gridiron-crazy capitol, fans won’t be happy unless this kid takes THE University back to THE top…and we don’t mean just the Big Ten. Pryor should be the missing piece that kept OSU from those two recent National Championships (played for the title in 2007 and ’08). Unstoppable when healthy, “Beanie’s” status of return is iffy, but newbie Herron proved in Wells’s three-game absence (toe injury) that he could carry whatever load is to be put upon him. The key to State’s recent successes with their running game has been a series of fullbacks who can plow through anything, so replacing Brandon Smith is deceptively important. Most will point to the vacated LB corps to reveal defensive weakness, but insiders know the corps’ underneath coverage (that struggled in both championship game losses) might actually improve due to turnover. The same thing will be rumored about the outside coverage, but again, a sharpie like Chekwa as a centerpiece of the defensive backfield will allow revampings to possibly cause even better results. The DL and special teams are to remain up to Coach Tressel’s standards, making Ohio State again one of the most dangerous teams. The Brutus Bunch won’t admit it, but not making it to the national title game for a third consecutive year might just be what the doctor ordered; a few steps back in ‘08 could easily mean many more steps towards the ultimate goal in the coming year.