Masoli, Pryor add flavor to Rose Bowl
December 31, 2009
LOS ANGELES (AP)—Although Terrelle Pryor always has flash in his game, he wenta little bit Hollywood this week.
While enjoying the sun and diversions of southern California, the Ohio Statequarterback sometimes sported black-framed eyeglasses that don’t containprescription lenses.
Don’t worry, Buckeyes fans: Pryor can see very clearly what must happenFriday for Ohio State (10-2) to end its three-game bowl skid against thehigh-flying Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl.
“We’re going to have to score points, maybe a lot of points,” Pryor said.“When you play a team that scores like Oregon, you’ve got to be ready to keepup. There could be a lot of points on that scoreboard.”
Jeremiah Masoli is counting on it. The Oregon quarterback is the ringmasterof a spread offense that racked up more than 37 points and 424 yards per gamethis season while the No. 7 Ducks (10-2) ended USC’s seven-year run atop thePac-10. Oregon is in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1995.
“To finally get back to the Rose Bowl satisfied a lot of wishes by a lot ofpeople,” Masoli said. “We had that as our goal from the first week of thisyear. Now that we’re finally here, we want to prove to ourselves that we cankeep it going, take that one last step.”
The contrast of eighth-ranked Ohio State’s traditional crimson-and-grayagainst Oregon’s latest ethereal uniform creation is just one intriguing aspectof the 96th Rose Bowl—a match-up of strikingly dissimilar programs inPasadena. The Buckeyes haven’t been here since 1997.
Ohio State has thrived throughout the past decade under coach Jim Tressel,winning a national title and playing for two others with a regimented, smartapproach. The Buckeyes’ style, like their coach, tends to be conservative andpredictable.
Although Oregon has a similarly solid foundation, it’s best known for itsnovelties and a willingness to take risks, whether with a wide-open,spread-option offense or rookie coach Chip Kelly, who was an offensivecoordinator at I-AA New Hampshire just three years ago.
“I want our players to savor the moment,” Kelly said Thursday. “They’veearned this opportunity, and I don’t want to have them so focused so they’re noteven allowed to enjoy this. … Our players, if you watch us play, we have fun.Our staff has fun, and this is what it’s all about.”
Even the five-time Big Ten champion Buckeyes’ defense, which gave up just12.2 points per game while posting three shutouts, seems eager to get its firstlive look at Oregon’s offense. While Ohio State allowed just 11 touchdowns overits last 43 quarters, Oregon’s offense scored the same number of TDs in the past10 quarters.
“It’s the ultimate test by far, of any offense in the country,” said OhioState defensive lineman Doug Worthington, part of a unit that hasn’t allowed a100-yard rusher this season. “Oregon is firing on all cylinders right now. Theydo a little bit of everything, and it’s going to be a battle of the titans whenthey have the ball.”
The Ducks’ prowess caught Tressel’s eye on television more than once afteran Ohio State victory this fall, with the coach praising freshman tailbackLaMichael James’ emergence as a superb replacement for formerly suspended starLeGarrette Blount.
“When you leave your defense on the field that long against good footballteams, there is going to be a wearing factor,” Tressel said. “I know this:Chasing Oregon around will make them tired, too, so it’s going to be a greatchallenge.”
Ohio State’s possessions could be just as compelling. Oregon’s defense isfull of outstanding athletes, but it was run over by Stanford star Toby Gerhartin early November. The Buckeyes might to a similar overpowering approach.
“Sometimes they get caught in their defense a little bit,” Pryor said.“Sometimes it looks like they’re mixed up when they have guys running around,but maybe that’s part of their plan. They have a good D.”
Although Masoli and Pryor are two of the most athletic quarterbacks in thenation, their pedigrees are nearly as contrasting as the offenses they run.
Pryor was among the biggest prizes in his high school class, and he listenedto every coach from Joe Paterno to Kelly himself, who made six trips from Eugeneto Pryor’s native Jeannette, Pa., before choosing the Buckeyes. Masoli went to apowerhouse junior college in his native San Francisco for one year after gettingno desirable scholarship offers following his senior high school season inHawaii.
The quarterbacks had never met before this week, but they already shared ahealthy mutual respect.
“There are a lot of similarities in us, but the tools we have to work withare totally different,” Masoli said. “If you have the right skills and you’renot the prototypical quarterback, you can be really successful in thisoffense.”
From the wealthy alumni to the equipment managers, both schools havethoroughly enjoyed their first postseason trips to Pasadena in several years.After the Disneyland rides, the Beverly Hills beef-eating challenge and a weekof practice, Masoli is eager to cement his legacy in what would be the first12-win season in Oregon history.
Pryor is equally ready for what could be the breakout big game long expectedfrom him, although he says he’s playing primarily for the Buckeyes’ traditionand reputation.
“If we lose, we’ve lost four (bowl) games in a row,” Pryor said. “That’sugly, man. Can’t let that happen.”
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