It's Time For Joe

AP

Well, that was not how I expected last Saturdays game to go, Ohio State losing to Purdue!? Who saw that one coming? I will admit that I thought the game would be closer than some people predicted (for the record I said 23-9 OSU). But Ohio State was ripe for an upset and Purdue was hungry for a win. The Boilermakers had lost five close games in a row and knew that beating the seventh ranked team in the nation could be the high of their season. The Buckeyes defense seemed to be getting tired as they played Wisconsin and you had to wonder how long they could keep excelling at such a high level. And then there is Ohio State’s offence, which seems to be getting worse every week.

It’s time that Jim Tressel and his coaching staff make a change and realize that they may have put all their eggs in the wrong basket. It’s time that Terrelle Pryor lines up anywhere else on the field just not as quarterback. It is time to see what Joe Bauserman can do as quarterback of The Ohio State Buckeyes.

Now, I have no clue if Joe Bauserman can be any improvement at the quarterback position but the only way to truly find out is to give him the ranges and let him try. What I also know as a fact is that Terrelle Pryor has gotten worse in every game this year after the USC game. I first saw things about Pryor that worried me in the Toledo game when he would though into double and triple coverage instead of scanning the field for an open man. Like any young quarterback you would expect these mistakes in the beginning of a season, but instead of getting better Pryor has gotten worse. Against Purdue he was 17-31 passing (not horrible, but not great especially since we had to pass the entire fourth quarter) and ran for only 35 yards. Plus there were is 4 turnovers! (2 int. 2 fumbles) Terrelle may have the athletic abilities to be a top tear BCS quarterback, but he is not mentally prepared for the job. He does not seem like he is able to read the field and know what is going on. Then there is his leadership. The quarterback is the natural leader of the offence (especially when you have no offensive captain) and Pryor has shown that he is not mentally ready and/or capable of doing the job.

Now I am not saying that the loss to Purdue was all Terrelle’s fault. Blame should be spread equally to all members of the team. But, it was Pryor who was making major mistakes and has been making more and more of them as the season has moved on. He should not be benched, but he should not be the starting quarterback. Play him as a receiver or at another position that the coaching staff thinks would work. This team is not going to win a fifth straight Big Ten title with Terrelle Pryor as its quarterback. It’s time for Joe Bauserman to provide a spark and hopefully still deliver a trip to Pasadena.