Filed under: Marshall, Ohio State
First things first. Yes, Ohio State was playing a veritable preseason game in a 45-7 thrashing of Marshall. It wasn’t a real test at all for the No. 2 Buckeyes, especially as they look to host the Miami Hurricanes next week in the Horseshoe.
Still, when we see an actual football game played by one of the best teams in the country, it’s certainly worth drawing conclusions. And I’ll gladly throw this one out there: while Heisman hype machine Terrelle Pryor was good, he wasn’t nearly as good as the defense or running game of Ohio State.
There’s no need to jump to Pryor’s defense, as he was quite good. Great, in fact. The touted junior was a cool customer in the pocket, hitting on 17-of-25 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns — most impressive was a perfect strike on a 65-yard touchdown to Dane Sanzenbacher to quickly answer the Thundering Herd’s only score. Entering the season, the detractors of Pryor’s would point to his inability to be a pocket passer. So if this game is any indication, he’s made huge strides (he only carried the ball eight times for 17 yards).
But, again, Pryor was not the best thing about his team on Thursday night. And Buckeye faithful likely agree with this sentiment. This is one complete football team.
