Early in the fourth quarter on third-and-13 it looked as though the Oregon Duck defense was going to force an Ohio State punt and continue gaining momentum.
But moments later, sophomore quarterback Terrelle Pryor made the biggest play of his young Buckeye career, eluding multiple Oregon defenders in the pocket before scrambling out to his right and throwing up a prayer.
The hands of 6-foot-6-inch, 256-pound senior tight end Jake Ballard answered that prayer as he skied high above the Oregon secondary to come down with the 24-yard reception.
The catch was Ballard’s only of the game, but it could not have been timelier as it prolonged the Buckeyes game-sealing drive. Then just five plays later, Ohio State reached the end zone to put itself up by nine points.
“That was unbelievable,” senior offensive lineman Jim Cordle said of the play. “First of all it was a great play by Terrelle throwing it up and giving him a chance. He went up, it looked like he was in the air for 10 seconds, wanted it, got it and we won.”
Pryor, whose passing ability was heavily questioned before the game, had an outstanding day for Ohio State as he finished 23-of-37 passing for 266 yards and two touchdowns. In the Buckeyes’ previous three games, Pryor had not attempted more than 17 passes, but right out of the gate, it was clear that conservative head coach Jim Tressel wanted to establish the passing game.
“We felt that we needed to be balanced against this team,” Tressel said.
The Buckeyes came out throwing on five of their first six plays from scrimmage, while on the sixth play Pryor scampered for 24 yards on third-and-six to extend the drive. The pre-game doubts in the Buckeye passing game played a key role in Pryor’s inspiration on Friday.
“That was probably a motivational factor for No. 2,”
sophomore receiver DeVier Posey said. “He knows how good he is and we know how good he can be; we just wanted to support him.”
His knee injury (a partially torn posterior cruciate ligament), which was kept quiet for the latter half of the season, was not an issue as far as Pryor’s mobility was concerned. He finished the night with a team-high 72 yards rushing on 20 carries.
6-foot-3-inch Posey, Pryor’s favorite target on the year, pulled down eight receptions for 101 yards and the game-sealing touchdown with seven minutes remaining in the final quarter. That same play had gotten Posey open several times on the night, but Pryor hadn’t been able to make the throw.
“It was the same play,” Posey said. “It’s just a fade, but we’ve been working on the back shoulder and Terrelle just put it right on the money.”
After a missed 44-yard field goal attempt by the Ducks moments later, Ohio State was able to run out the remaining minutes on the clock to seal the 26-17 victory. The win gave Tressel and his senior class their first bowl win in the past four years.
“It’s a springboard,” defensive lineman Cameron Heyward said. “It says a lot about our leadership and the seniors and it just shows that you can’t ever count us out because we’re going to keep fighting.”
After proving to the college football world that he could perform on the biggest of stages, Pryor was named the offensive Most Valuable Player following the game.
“It was huge for us to get over that hump and win this game,” Pryor said. “And we’ve just got to keep on winning.”
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