So the 2008 drive to a national championship for tOSU began and ended last week at USC. But that’s not all bad, because now that we’ve gotten this season’s soul-crushing loss out of the way, Buckeye nation can exhale, and let the Terrelle Pryor Era begin. I know it’s facile for me to make analogies between tOSU and Texas, but that’s what happens when you spend your whole life in Columbus and Austin. So humor me. And then peep this (sorry, I know it’s from Wikipedia, but it gets to the point):
As a redshirt freshman during the 2003 season, Young was initially 2nd on the depth chart behind Chance Mock. However, Mock was benched halfway through the season (in the game against Oklahoma) in favor of Young. After that game, Young and Mock alternated playing time, with Young’s running ability complementing Mock’s drop-back passing.
As a redshirt sophomore in the 2004 season, Young started every game and led the Longhorns to an 11-1 season record (losing only to rival Oklahoma), a top 5 final ranking, and the school’s first-ever appearance and victory in the Rose Bowl, in which they defeated the University of Michigan. He began to earn his reputation as a dual-threat quarterback by passing for 1,849 and rushing for 1,189 yards. The Texas coaches helped facilitate this performance by changing the team offensive scheme from the more traditional I-formation to a Shotgun formation with 3 wide receivers. This change gave the offense more options in terms of play selection, and consequently made it more difficult to defend against.
We all know how that story ended.
Some Buckeye fans may want to compare TP to Troy Smith, but I don’t think it makes as much sense as VY. Troy’s story is one of redemption, of overcoming all odds to rise to personal glory (winning the ultimate individual award along the way). Troy wasn’t even recruited as a QB, but rather as an “athlete” and seen as a wild card. He had to endure suspensions and allegations, and atone for his mistakes along the way. At the end of the day, Troy is a Buckeye legend, and to borrow from Ray Small, came out of college not just a good football player but a good man. But on a national scale, he’ll be remembered for coming up short against Florida. Fair or not (because it was a total team collapse), the perception of Troy was changed forever because of one game.
Vince Young, however, was the BMOC from the get-go. While he redshirted his first year, the expectation was still there that he’d be a great one someday. With VY, it was a matter of when, not if. If Troy learned how to execute the offense; VY was the offense. VY didn’t need to grow, he was already a man amongst boys. His story was all about the inevitability of domination, of seeing if anybody could take him down. As it turns out, nobody could. And like Troy, Vince will probably be best remembered for one championship game. It just so happens that his performance was one of the greatest championship/big game performances in college football history.
So now the next greatest-QB-recruit-of-all-time has arrived at Ohio State. He’s the BMOC already, the tall, smooth, run-first prodigy. Can he be the next Troy Smith? Or the next Vince Young? I guess we’ll find out soon enough. No pressure, kid.
For further reading:
Let the formal education of Terrelle Pryor begin [Dr. Saturday @ Yahoo]
Posted by gb 
