Terrelle Pryor + Interceptions = Crazy Successful Ohio State Buckeyes

Last night was a momentum game for the Buckeyes against Miami (FL). While it was a sloppy game at times for both teams, the Buckeyes always seemed to reverse momentum every time the Hurricanes made things interesting.

Those key plays would help lift Ohio State to a 36-24 victory. It was a weird game to watch, though. Between the turnovers, special teams blunders, and Pryor's Jekyll and Hyde performance, it never really had the feel of a Tressel-type game.

Regardless of the overall nature of the game, a few things really became clear. First, this defense is very opportunistic, picking up where they left off last year. The four interceptions the Buckeyes forced off of Jacory Harris was the key to the game.

In the first half, the three picks forced were a huge source of momentum and points, and Cameron Heyward's pick at the start of the second half was the play of the game. With a 26-17 lead and the Hurricanes knocking on the doorstep, that interception provided a 14 point swing, seemingly icing the game from there on.  

Second, Pryor was too much for the Hurricanes. Besides throwing for 233 yards and one touchdown, he was the Buckeyes leading rusher with 113 yards and a touchdown. Every time Tressel needed a first down, especially late when he wanted to milk the clock, he depended on Pryor's legs. Miami had no answer for it.

Now, like I stated earlier, it was a roller coaster ride performance for Pryor. He did only complete 44 percent of his passes, and was lucky not to get picked off in the game. It was his pure, unmatched athleticism that won the game, but he is still very much a work in progress.

Some other storylines from the game:


1. The special teams, in particular the return coverage, is absolutely pitiful.

Miami was able to hang around in the first half despite only having around 100 yards of offense, thanks to an 88-yard kickoff return and 79 yard punt return. Both went for touchdowns.

This is something that has plagued the Buckeyes going back to last year, and it could be the difference in them heading to Glendale or not. You can't continue to make this many special teams blunders and expect to beat the good teams out there. This will come back to haunt the Buckeyes if not fixed!


2) Running back depth. 

Last week we mentioned that Saine looked to be the bell cow at running back, but after yesterday it appears that may not be the case. He managed just seven yards on 12 carries, and didn't show the patience in finding the hole against a good defense. Not to mention his pass blocking looked weak on several occasions.

 

Herron, on the other hand, was a breath of fresh air when he entered the game. His 14 carries for 66 yards weren't spectacular, but rather efficient. He took what the defense gave him and broke out several really nice runs. If it wasn't for Posey, Herron would have had a touchdown too.

I am interested to see what happens in the next several games. Saine is obviously a great receiver out of the backfield and is capable of taking one to the house at any moment. What he lacks is the ability to get the tough yards, and that means carries will be shared with Herron and company.

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3) I was impressed with C.J. Barnett, not Andrew Sweat.

Barnett took a lot of criticism after his performance against Marshall, but you won't hear anyone complaining now. He was arguably the most physical player in the secondary yesterday afternoon, and just flat laid a few Hurricanes out.

Not only that, but his pass breakup led to the first interception by Nathan Williams.He did get hurt in the second half and Orhian Johnson looked solid, but we all got to see why Tressel and the staff are so high on this guy.

As for Andrew Sweat, the verdict is still out. I understand he doesn't see lots of snaps because of Tyler Moeller playing the Star, but the several times he was on the field he looked really slow.

In fact, the Canes biggest run was right at Sweat, and he misplayed the ball and found himself jogging 10 yards behind the play. I'm not throwing him under the bus, because he could be a huge contributor in Big Ten play, but yesterday was a tough outing.


4) Tressel's play calling was solid for the most part yesterday, except in the redzone.

He showed some creativity while picking his moments to be aggressive, and the Buckeyes showed the ability to move the ball down the field. The redzone was a different story. Besides special teams returns, Ohio State's inability to punch the ball in kept Miami alive.

It was frustrating to watch such a talented offensive unit look so inept when they got close. Some would argue this is because the Buckeyes lack a power runner, but this was a struggle even when Beanie was around. This goes on Tressel's shoulders.


5) The Buckeye defense can hold their own.

I know some of the experts are sounding the alarm because the Buckeye defense gave up a lot of yards in the second half, but that was strictly due to defensive play calling. Pryor's touchdown gave OSU a 33-17 lead early in the second half, and Heacock switched his play calling to limit big plays.

In the first half, when the Buckeyes were blitzing and playing man-to-man coverage more, Miami barely accumulated 100 yards. So yes, this defense is the real deal.

I already mentioned the turnovers above, but they looked good in all facets of the game. The secondary shut down the Hurricane wideouts, the pass rush was much improved, and as always the run defense was stellar. I had my doubts about this defense heading into the season, but yesterday proved we have little to worry about.