Photo: AP/Jay LaPrete

Today's message was clear: Coach Tressel, Terrelle Pryor, and the offensive unit had to put the Purdue game behind them and make major strides to stay in contention for the Big Ten title. They did just that on a banner day for the offense, which was highlighted by over 500 total yards and five offensive touchdowns as the Buckeyes rolled over the Gophers with 31 second half points.

Replenishing the Line: Today, the Buckeyes got back their starting tackles in a larger capacity. Both Andy Miller and Jim Cordle got more reps this week as they return from the flu and injury respectively, but it seemed like they split their reps at left tackle for the most part. Cordle got the start at left tackle, displacing sophomore Mike Adams, but J.B. Shugarts remained the starter at right tackle. Getting both of these guys back made an immediate impact on the offensive line's performance.

TP Renaissance: Terrelle Pryor truly did make some positive strides today, and it was for multiple reasons. First, let's establish that Minnesota's pass defense is below-average at best. Next, Tressel and the offensive playcaller (probably still mostly Tressel) FINALLY put Pryor in formations and packages in which he can succeed. Third, Pryor simply looked like the weight of the world was lifted off his shoulders. Pryor was 13-of-25 passing for 239 yards with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. TP also ran for 104 yards on 15 carries plus a touchdown. With that rushing performance, Pryor joined Cornelius Green, Rex Kern, Art Schlichter, and Troy Smith as the only OSU 1,000 yard career rushers at QB.

Last week, Pryor was responsible for four turnovers; this week, it was just one at the end of the first half. Pryor did not fumble the football once as it looked like he made a much more conscious effort of protecting the football. In addition, it looked like coaches got him to speed up the internal clock in his head. Often, Pryor would wait too long to pull it down and run upfield. Today, with the help of playcalling, Pryor was in better position to make an earlier decision to run or pass.

One of the plays that impressed me most was when Pryor found himself without an open target and rather than squeeze it in and risk a turnover, he got out of the pocket and threw the ball away. It's those factors (the throwaways, taking sacks instead of fumbling, knowing down and distance, reading coverages better) that are going to determine if TP can be remembered as a great OSU quarterback.

Let's not get carried away though...: Pryor didn't just flip the switch from dud to stud, however. He still had major issues with throwing balls behind receivers, especially in the early going. Pryor's interception came when the team was putting together a very solid drive, poised to add to their 7-0 lead just before half. On the play, Pryor had tunnel vision, threw across his body and into triple coverage for Devier Posey. Those kind of throws need to be ELIMINATED from Pryor's thought process.

He may have completed the deep balls, but Posey made a great play on those balls as at least one of them he had to wait on quite a bit since it was underthrown. His touch is still shaky, and it will have to continue to improve against better defenses in the future.

Playcall overhaul: One of the main reasons Pryor was so efficient today was the more aggressive playcalling by the Buckeyes. Like most games, the Buckeyes started out with a 3-wide look with Ray Small replacing FB Zach Boren at the beginning. However, they quickly moved from that setup to multiple 4-wide and 5-wide formations. In a grouping they used several times, four were spread wide and Brandon Saine lined up directly behind one of the receivers. This formation yielded a 14-yard run by Pryor on the second drive of the game. In fact, most of Pryor's high-yielding runs were in the 5-wide look, because everything opens up, and Pryor's lanes to run are so much bigger.

The other big change was that Pryor had the opportunity to really air it out as he threw at least four 40+ yard passes (all to Devier Posey). This is one of the elements truly lacking from OSU's arsenal most of this year so far. Without the threat of the deep ball, teams have been gradually loading up the box, daring Pryor to beat them with his arm and making it harder to run the football. Chucking that pass down there a couple of times a game keeps them honest, and sometimes, it actually works when you have a good receiver on the other end like Posey.

Finally, on many of those shotgun formations, the Buckeye offense moved the pocket. This was incredibly effective and plays right into Pryor's strengths. It gives Pryor the option to run on almost every single play, and that is a MUST when you have the athletic ability that Pryor displays. The offensive line feels much less heat as a result of this as well, and given their recent efforts, it's a smart move to keep that pocket in constant motion.

RB shortage: With Daniel "Boom" Herron and Jamaal Berry already missing today's game due to injury, the Buckeyes were down to just three running backs (Brandon Saine, Jordan Hall, Jermil Martin). Saine left the game in the second quarter due to an apparent concussion as well, so the Buckeyes were down to two unproven backs in Hall and Martin. Today, though, these two proved that they are more than capable of rising to the occasion.

Thunder and Lightning = Martin and Hall: Hall was the first to see action late in the second quarter after Saine left. Hall does such a good job at running in-between the tackles for someone his size (5'10", 190 lbs). He had 10 carries in all for 38 yards, including an 11-yard touchdown run where the right side of the line opened up a MASSIVE hole for the little guy to run through. Hall brings something to the table that Boom (Herron) and Zoom (Saine) really do not, the ability to make guys miss and change direction without slowing his speed.

Martin, meanwhile, saw his first action in the third quarter (most likely to give Hall a breather). He ran off two straight carries to pick up a first down right away. Then, he bowled through the line and made several guys miss as he in the words of Chris Berman went "rumblin', bumblin', stumblin'" into the endzone for a 39-yard touchdown run, the first of his career. Martin finished with 7 carries for 75 yards and the one touchdown. The 6'1", 227 pound redshirt freshman brings something to the table that the Buckeyes have missed dearly since Beanie Wells departed for the Arizona Cardinals, a power back who can carry tacklers and push the pile. Let's not over-hype one half against a lousy Minnesota D, but Martin may just find himself as a viable option on 3rd-and-short situations the rest of the year at the very least, even if all RBs are healthy.

TP2DP: No, it's not DSL, but this connection is DEFINITELY high-speed. Pryor and sophomore WR Devier Posey have established a strong relationship, and it develops more each week. Posey has progressed so much in such a short amount of time that I'm starting to believe Chris's prediction that Posey could become one of the top five receivers in OSU history. Granted, he still has A LOT of work to do to get there, but I will settle for the fact that considering where he is right now as a sophomore, he has a solid chance to eclipse the efforts of this generation's OSU receivers (Holmes, Jenkins, Ginn, Gonzalez). Posey had 8 receptions for 161 yards and 2 touchdowns. He did, however, drop two or three passes, including one that Pryor placed perfectly over the top of his shoulder inside the 5 yard line. He was so close to catching it that I thought it could have been a reception and fumble out of bounds at first glance.

Old Hat for Defense: The defense fell just short of pitching another shutout as Minnesota scored against the entire second team defense with just over four minutes remaining. The D allowed 286 total yards, but they forced two turnovers (Coleman and Spitler interceptions) and sacked the QB four times (three of those courtesy of Thaddeus Gibson). They held the Gophers to just 1-for-10 on third down, but they were aided by several dropped passes by Minnesota receivers. In fact, I would venture to say that the Buckeyes would have been playing from behind early if Minnesota wasn't so crippled by drops. Top performers on defense were Thaddeus Gibson (6 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 1 fumble recovery), Nate Williams (4 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack), and Kurt Coleman (4 tackles, interception).

QB change: For those clamoring for an OSU QB change, they got it. With 9:14 remaining in the fourth quarter and the Buckeyes up 38-0, Joe Bauserman trotted out on to the field. Terrelle Pryor sat on the sidelines, his mission for the day FULLY accomplished.

Game ball goes to: Devier Posey and Terrelle Pryor. These two connected on two deep bombs that were more than enough in this game. With Posey's continued development as a great number one target, Pryor must continue to find him while refining his decision-making and controlling his running game.

The Buckeyes get a true "treat" on Halloween weekend next Saturday as they take on New Mexico State in the Shoe.

Kirk

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