By: Doug Lesmerises (Cleveland Plain Dealer) —

Columbus- This was their plan, Mike Brewster cheap Ampicillin snapping, Terrelle Pryor taking it from there, two friends from Ohio State’s 2008 recruiting class at the heart of the Buckeyes’ offense.
“We didn’t come here just to sit around and watch games,” Brewster said Saturday. “We knew this day was going to come, but we probably didn’t think it was going to come in the fourth game, let alone pretty much the whole game. It’s pretty surreal.”

Twenty-one days earlier, junior center Jim Cordle snapped to senior quarterback Todd Boeckman, who handed off to junior running back Beanie Wells on the first play of the season for the nation’s No. 2 team. Saturday, freshman Brewster snapped to freshman Pryor, who handed off to redshirt freshman running back Dan Herron.

New ranking, now 13th. New look. New reason for Ohio State fans to find hope in a 28-10 victory over Troy, hope that had been washed into the Pacific a week earlier after a 32-point loss at Southern California.

“It’s about moving on,” said Cordle, who started at left guard on Saturday. “It’s with a different scheme, but [we can be] just as good.”

The first freshman quarterback to start for Ohio State since Art Schlichter in 1978, Pryor was eased into his new role with a shove. Though Pryor said he didn’t know he was starting until nearly game time, Jim Tressel’s stated plan to have Pryor and former starter Boeckman share the snaps was abandoned at the whiff of Pryor’s potential.

The final breakdown: Pryor, 54 snaps, Boeckman, two. Even third-stringer Joe Bauserman played more than Boeckman, getting three in mop-up duty. So Boeckman was confronted with the question that safety Kurt Coleman said every starter is asked before the season: If you lose your spot, how are you going to react?

“I think it’s unanimous,” Coleman said. “We’re going to make the player ahead of us better. And that’s what Todd is going to do.”

“As hard as it is, and he might not tell you, you really can’t see it,” said senior receiver Brian Robiskie, one of the offensive captains with Boeckman. “I think he’s handled it great.”

“I know he’s down on himself,” Pryor said, “but he’s a great quarterback. Me and him, we’re still going to go in the Big Ten and do some damage. I’m going to be on his side and he’s going to be on my side. That’s what everyone has to know about Todd Boeckman. He’s a great person.”

But Pryor is Tressel’s quarterback. During the week, Tressel said he’d prefer to decide on one quarterback at some point, and already he’s there. Asked an obvious, but necessary, question in a world where Wells’ injured right foot still hasn’t been offered a specific diagnosis in three weeks, Tressel confirmed Pryor as his new starter.

“Weren’t you at the game?” Tressel asked.

Those who were saw Pryor complete 10 of 17 passes for 139 yards and an OSU freshman-record four touchdowns. Pryor also ran 14 times for 66 yards, though he had 86 positive yards and 20 in losses.

“I’ve been making plays my whole life,” Pryor said, dropping a line he’d used during his prolific high school career just outside Pittsburgh. “If I have to risk my legs, risk my arm, get my arm cut off, this is my family now. Coach Tressel preaches it all the time, and we all preach it. I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

Definitely keep the legs. Five of Pryor’s runs went for 8 yards or more. And the arm was OK — he said he’d rather throw than run.

“When I’m running out of the pocket, I’m looking downfield, because I know defenses are going to come up,” Pryor said, “and if they don’t come up [to stop the scramble], I’m going to make them pay.”

A chunk of his passing yards came on two touchdowns, a 39-yarder to Brian Hartline and a 38-yarder to Robiskie, 77 yards in two tosses. In his first three games, Pryor had thrown for a total of just 87 yards. His deep ball to Robiskie had a little flutter, but at least he established the threat as he established his status.

“I’m glad where we’re at right now,” Cordle said, “because it’s not a controversy. We have two guys who can do good, but I think it was good in this for game for Terrelle to get experience throwing the ball down the field. We know Todd can throw the ball down the field and we know Terrelle can run the option, but teams have to know we can throw the ball with him, too.

“I told him after the game those were great passes, maybe a little bit too much touch, because in the Big Ten, DBs can run back underneath them and make up ground. But it was good he got that experience.”

It’s good the Buckeyes, now 3-1, found a way to move on, unwrapping a gift a quick way to shake a foul mood. Minnesota visits to start conference play next weekend, and when the Golden Gophers arrive, everyone knows they will find a freshman at quarterback.

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