By: Clinton Reed Jr. | Buckeyes Gameday Correspondent
You can not lose today.
With the sun positioned directly over head on a Saturday afternoon in West Lafayette Indiana, and standing a listed six feet six inches tall, Terrelle Pryor will be preparing to lead the Buckeyes into yet another civil war within the Big Ten. Yet as he runs onto the battle field of Ross Ade Stadium amidst the blurred chorus of the Purdue faithful, what will be going through the mind of the Sophomore quarterback? Sure it may seem and somewhat feel the same as any game of football ever played, but none before Saturday’s meeting with Purdue has ever had so much riding on the shoulders of Terrelle Pryor.
Let’s be honest. The true Sophomore has always been successful at every level of play thus far, and everytime that level of success has been achieved very quickly. Yet what he is currently experiencing is a theory that has existed since existence itself. When you change the level of play… the level of play changes. He is no longer the superior athlete on the field, and therefore must adjust in order to bring success to The Ohio State.
Where there’s Scarlet…. There’s Gray…..
The positive side of Saturday morning will be that as Pryor sits in the locker room envisioning what will need to take place in order for the Buckeyes to be successful in their pursuit of victory, he will not be alone. Somewhere in that same room will hang the jerseys of all those set to do battle that afternoon. Gibson, Coleman, Chekwa, Heyward, Posey, ect. will all have their own individual place of focus in that very same room where they too must sit and focus on what will need to be accomplished in order to be successful against Purdue.
With their only victory coming against Toledo, it has been a rather tough season for the old gold and black. They have played many teams tough, yet have not been able to win any of the close games. Fact is, they have allowed on avgerage of 31 points per game, and have yet to face a defense the caliber of which they shall be lining up against on Saturday.
The Buckeyes’ defensive unit has been absolutely outstanding thus far. The return of Kurt Coleman proved to be huge as he took his interception all the way to the house aganst Wisconsin last Saturday in Columbus. Their identity as a team is finally begining to show itself. They are a tough gritty group, that if coupled with the right offense, can bring home a national title.
The truth is….
The statistical breakdown for this upcoming meeting in Indiana is simple. 1. The only thing that the Buckeyes need to have happen in this game in order for it to be considered a success is to win. It is just that simple. If they are to be what they consider themselves to be, a national title contender, then they have to be able to defeat the teams that they should. Of course in the interest of political correctness it’s not to say that Purdue is not a quality university, the engineering department is one of the finest in the nation. Yet when it comes to man vs. man on a field used exclusively for playing football…. they’re simply not on the same level.
WEEK SEVEN PREDICTIONS:
The Ohio State: 27 Purdue: 10
Defense: Purdue has yet to see anything close to the defense of The Ohio State. The Buckeyes are too fast… it will seem like they are everywhere. Only way Purdue can score is if the Ohio State offense turns it over.
Offense: Terrelle Pryor will realize that it is not physical talent that will carry him to the next level…. it is the knowledge of how to accomplish. He will continue to grow, and therefore will continue to succeed.
Tags: Chimdi Chekwa, Clinton Reed Jr, Devier Posey, Kurt Coleman, ohio state, purdue, Ross Ade Stadium, Terrelle Pryor, Thaddeus Gibson, West lafayette
