By: Eric Lacy (The Detroit News) — For a program with 819 victories, Ohio State fans aren’t necessarily the most patient.

Pryor experienced that firsthand early last season when accuracy problems frustrated Buckeyes supporters.

But that criticism could drive the Buckeyes quarterback to a stellar 2010 campaign.

After a career-high 266 yards passing and two touchdowns in a Rose Bowl victory over Oregon, Pryor seems primed for a hearty encore.

“I wanted to come out and show I can be a complete quarterback,” Pryor told the Associated Press after completing a career-high 23 passes in the Rose Bowl.

Pryor, who will lead an offense that returns 10 starters, is fully recovered from offseason arthroscopic right knee surgery. He’s also shown coach Jim Tressel he’s holding himself accountable to higher standards.

“The better you do your craft and the more you have confidence in your craft, the more you have a chance to be a leader,” Tressel said during an April teleconference.

At 6-foot-6, 235 pounds, Pryor could easily become the best player in college football if he could pass as superbly as he runs (1,017 yards rushing and seven touchdowns in 2009).

Kirk Herbstreit, an ESPN analyst and former Buckeyes quarterback, believes Pryor’s athleticism and competitiveness are second to none.

“How good could he be?” Herbstreit said. “He could be one of the best we’ve ever seen. He’s a really confident kid. I think at times early in his career he was his own worst enemy because he was so hard on himself.”

Herbstreit, who lives in Columbus, has noticed more maturity in Pryor this offseason. Still, Herbstreit said this summer is critical for Pryor’s development.

“How he improves will be really be up to him,” Herbstreit said of the junior.

Tressel saw more “calmness and command” from Pryor during spring practices and a willingness to remain patient as a pass play develops.

Pryor overcame four sacks and an interception in the Rose Bowl, showing signs he can

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE DIRECTLY FROM THE SOURCE AT THE DETROIT NEWS BY CLICKING HERE.


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This entry was posted on Monday, July 5th, 2010 at 3:28 pm.
Categories: FOOTBALL.

2 Comments, Comment or Ping

  1. BuckeyeCountry.net

    Big Ten preview: Ohio State Buckeyes http://bit.ly/a5Ii80

  2. scottjoy

    Big Ten preview: Ohio State Buckeyes: Big Ten preview: Ohio State Buckeyes. By: Eric Lacy (The Detroit News) — For… http://bit.ly/bZE7p2

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