At the start of this season, the Ohio State football team was hailed as one of the nation's best. Why not? They're consistently among the best teams in the Big Ten conference and have played in the last two national championship games. Plus, they're led by one of the best coaches in all of college football and they recruit as well as they play. This season, Ohio State returned a load of starters on both sides of the ball and the preseason polls all had the Buckeyes receiving consideration as #1 in the land. In August, three of their star players were even featured regionally on the cover of Sports Illustrated for its college football preview. All-American linebacker James Laurinaitis and bruising tailback Chris Wells were among three players to graze the cover of SI.The third player asked to pose for the cover was senior quarterback Todd Boeckman. Last year, his first as a starter, was a highly productive one. Though his numbers were impressive, Boeckman's leadership was what led Ohio State to their second consecutive national championship appearance. That leadership translated into him being a shoe-in when it came time to vote for the 2008 captains. He's a classic Ohio State quarterback, from the same mold as Craig Krenzel, Joe Germaine and Bobby Hoying. All were known for their accuracy and smart play while at Ohio State and the same goes for Boeckman. Traditionally, Ohio State runs a balanced offensive attack that resembles a typical pro offense. But when a player has certain skills, they'll adapt their play-calling to best suit their man under center. We're now halfway through the 2008 season and Ohio State has adapted their offense to a different kind of quarterback, from a different kind of mold.
National Signing Day, a huge day for college football and all who follow the sport religiously, passed this year while the top recruit in the country was undecided. Rarely do the top few players wait until after Signing Day to make their college decision. But rarely is it such a battle for the top guy. Terrelle Pryor, from Jeannette, PA, was a two-sport star in high school. The young quarterback/small forward was 6'6 and weighed around 235 pounds, ran an effortless forty time of around 4.4 seconds and for good measure, had a 3.4 GPA in high school. The kid, according to recruiting database Rivals, was the top football recruit and among the top-25 basketball recruits last year. Being that good at both sports is unheard of. Coming down to the final days of college football's recruiting season, Pryor announced he would focus his talents on football and the schools to make his final cut were perennial college football powers. In the end, Pryor chose Ohio State. Oregon was too far from home, Penn State had two young quarterbacks already and Michigan was a mess that may not have been able to help Pryor develop into the pro quarterback that he plans on being.
It's not as if Ohio State needed him at the time, seeing as how loaded they are every year and considering how solid their quarterback play was last year. In fact, many believed Pryor wouldn't even touch the field this year and Ohio State would save a year of eligibility for their young star. Then the 2008 season began and Ohio State looked rusty early. They struggled against the first FBS team they faced, Ohio, and were then embarrassed the following week at former #1 Southern Cal. In the "Collision in the Coliseum," Boeckman seemed like himself early. He looked sharp, completing many quick timing routes and receiver screens, the bread and butter-type of passes that Ohio State traditionally spreads defenses out with. But it ugly fast as Ohio State stalled on their first drive and it got even worse as things progressed. For the day, Boeckman finished a respectable 14-for-21, but for only 84 yards, while tossing two costly interceptions including one that was returned for six. That game was the unofficial end to Todd Boeckman's stint as Ohio State's field general. Since the "Smackdown in SoCal" or the "Lashing in Los Angeles," (sorry, couldn't resist) Boeckman has played less and less and Terrelle Pryor has flourished into a leader by making big play after another.
Sure, Pryor is not the vocal leader that Boeckman has been. But his teammates respect his abilities and that hides the fact that he is so young. Pryor has not been spectacular. Many of his big throws have been under thrown and the balls he has completed have been as much a testament to the play-calling as his accuracy. Still, he obviously brings a different dimension that Boeckman could not and in the defense-heavy Big Ten, that can really work to your benefit. Making big plays, not turning the ball over, in tough situations is what guarantees a quarterback's success and helps the win team. That is why we see the young phenom starting so early in the conference schedule.
But as important as Pryor's success has been, Boeckman's attitude through the last couple of weeks has helped the Buckeyes win and has kept the team united. Remember, the senior Boeckman is still a captain and his leadership skills haven't gone anywhere. When you hear football coaches and experts discuss off-field leadership, they are talking about examples such as Todd Boeckman. He could easily complain about getting less opportunities, act out selfishly or even divide the team. Instead, he's stayed vocal - a trait that Pryor lacks early in his career - and remained a great example for others on the team to follow. If Ohio State wants to stay atop the Big Ten, they'll need more big plays from Pryor and more great leadership from Boeckman. Those two things helped OSU win a tough road game versus conference foe Wisconsin and they'll be important if they want to silence Nittany Nation at Columbus in a couple of weeks. Despite many writing the Buckeyes off a few weeks ago, they're still in good position to win the Big Ten title and play in the Rose Bowl. And if both of their quarterbacks can keep up what they're doing, that may just be the case.
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