Pryor took over for the struggling senior starter Todd Boeckman after their loss to USC. Since then, he has thrown for 1125 yards, 10 touchdowns, only three interceptions, and has completed 64.7 percent if his passes for a passer rating of 152.2.
Pryor's strong suit, however, is running the football. He has a total of 560 rushing yards, six touchdowns, and averages 4.8 yards per carry.
Then there's Chris "Beanie" Wells, who is currently sixth in the Big Ten in rushing with 957 yards and has seven touchdowns.
A surprising stat is that the Buckeyes are 10th in the Big Ten in total offense. So how have they won nine games this year?
They have a great defense with standout seniors in linebacker James Laurinaitis and cornerback Malcom Jenkins. The Buckeyes rank second in the conference in pass defense and fourth in the conference against the run.
So Michigan fans have to be asking themselves: Is there anyway to salvage this season? Can Michigan beat Ohio State in Columbus and avoid losing to the Buckeyes for a record fifth consecutive time?
The answer is yes. While Michigan may not stack up to the Buckeyes on paper, they certainly have history on their side. As mentioned before, Ohio State has never beaten Michigan five times in a row.
More good news for Rodriguez is that the only coach in Michigan history to lose to Ohio State in his first year was Elton Wieman way back in 1927.
This game is still very important to both teams. Ohio State needs to avoid the upset in order to give themselves a chance to earn a Rose Bowl bid with a Penn State loss. They also have a good chance at an at-large BCS bid.
For Michigan, this win might not get them to the Rose Bowl, or any bowl for that matter. But for the Wolverines it would mean redemption.
It would mean they can salvage something from a clearly lost season and abysmal start to Rich Rodriguez's era at Michigan. It would end the Buckeyes' dominance of the Wolverines, for one year anyway.
This win could restore some pride to Michigan's football team and give fans a hope of the great things that are expected to come in Rodriguez's years at Michigan.
On a side note, the point spread for this weekend's game is 19 points. This equals the largest point margin in the history of the rivalry.
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