Sugar Bowl: Would Terrelle Pryor 'Dominate' Arkansas in a Spread Offense?

As the individual college football awards were being presented last weekend, the question posed to Ohio State junior quarterback Terrelle Pryor was how he felt not being a finalist for some of the nation's top honors.  While Pryor initially said that such things weren't that important to him, he would go on to say that if Ohio State ran a spread-option attack like Auburn quarterback Cam Newton he'd "dominate."

With Ohio State facing Auburn's SEC rival Arkansas next January in the Sugar Bowl, the question then becomes: would Terrelle Pryor and the Buckeye offense "dominate" the Razorbacks if head coach Jim Tressel decided to employ a spread attack?

Many would begin to assess Pryor's chances by immediately comparing him to Newton,  which would be wrong.  It is true that Pryor and Newton possess similar physical attributes, with both of them being 6'6" and weighing over 235 pounds.  It is also true that each individual possesses lightning quick speed, as they are both believed to run around a 4.3 second 40-yard dash (although neither of them has been officially timed).  But the talent surrounding each quarterback, combined with the different style of offense each player runs currently makes a direct comparison very difficult.

So, how exactly would Ohio State fare against Arkansas if they ran a spread attack?

Certainly the spread is nothing new to Arkansas, as several teams run it in the SEC (including previously mentioned Auburn).  One would have to figure that this would tip the balance in favor of Arkansas.  But Ohio State does not currently run the spread attack, and therefore the Razorbacks game plan might not be geared to stop it.  Add to the fact, on occasion, Arkansas would have to account for the downfield threat of receivers DeVier Posey and Dane Sanzenbacher, and Ohio State running the spread attack would indeed present a unique challenge to the Razorback defense.

But alas, Ohio State's biggest obstacle to running a spread attack might just be its head coach Jim Tressel.  Many people believe that Tressel is reluctant to have Pryor run the ball more  because he is trying to limit further injury to Pryor's surgically-repaired right knee.  

While that is an interesting theory, and even partly true, it is not the real reason the "Senator" chooses not to run the spread.  More likely is the theory that Tressel is trying to mold Pryor into a more of a drop-back passer—one that will be successful at the next level.   This is true even though Jim Tressel has said publicly on more than one occasion he tries to "build the offense around the QB he has at the time" rather than the other way around.

So, would Terrelle Pryor and the Ohio State offense be able to dominate the Arkansas defense in the Sugar Bowl by running a spread attack?  Absolutely.  Just don't be surprised if Ohio State doesn't employ the spread come Jan. 4 in New Orleans.