Prior experience helps Pryor

By: MATT MARKEY (ToledoBlade.com) — COLUMBUS — When Ohio State faced top-ranked Southern California in Los Angeles a year ago, Terrelle Pryor was the freshman, the backup, the understudy, and the future for the Buckeyes.

In that game Pryor got his first real taste of life as the quarterback at Ohio State, and 12 months later he is ready to call on the lessons learned when the No. 6 Buckeyes host the No. 4 Trojans Saturday night in front of a national television audience.

“I was a rookie in that game, so I learned a lot of stuff from last year’s game — how fast everything is, and how quick you have torelease the ball,” Pryor said.

“It was a fun game last year too, but we just fell short and had penalties and mistakes like that — you can’t have mistakes against them.”

The Buckeyes turned the ball over three times, and took 10 penalties in the 35-3 defeat. Pryor alternated with senior Todd Boeckman, and rushed for 40 yards while completing seven of the nine passes he threw. He understands the whole spotlight will be on him this time around.

“I know I’m the focal point on offense, and I’ll take that because I’ve been going through that all my life, through high school and all, but we have a lot of players that can do stuff with the ball,” Pryor said. “You also got to know that everyone on the team ought to be a focal point — they’re just as good.”

0-FOR-5

Ohio State has lost its last five games against opponents ranked in the top 5 (date, opponent, score):

• Jan. 5, 2009: No. 3 Texas, 24-21
• Oct. 25, 2008: No. 3 Penn St., 13-6
• Sept. 13, 2008: No. 1 USC, 35-3
• Jan. 7, 2008: No. 2 LSU, 38-24
• Jan. 8, 2007: No. 2 Florida, 41-14

Pryor, who went 14-of-21 passing for 174 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the Buckeyes’ 31-27 win over Navy on Saturday, said he anticipates this weekend’s game will match the hype it has spawned.

“It’s going to be a fight, and it’s going to be a war. I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “It’s what you dream of – it’s going to be a real fun game.”

USC opened the season hammering San Jose State 56-3. The Trojans have won seven straight titles in the Pac-10 and recorded seven straight seasons with 11 or more wins.

“They’re a great team, and they do everything well,” Ohio State senior defensive lineman Doug Worthington said.

“They have a great offensive line — one of the best offensive lines in the country.

It’s going to be a great challenge……

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