Fear not, Ohio State fans. The linchpin for any title hopes you hold appears to be a go for Saturday.
However, the Heisman contender may be at less than full speed when he takes the field.
Speaking on the Big Ten coaches call Tuesday morning, Buckeyes head coach Jim Tressel gave no indication that Terrelle Pryor will be anything but available and on the field this weekend against Indiana. The quarterback suffered a strained quad in his left leg in the win over Illinois last Saturday and was knocked out of the game briefly before returning.
Following Pryor’s return, Tressel played his offense extremely close to The Vest, perhaps in an effort to avoid aggravating or worsening Pryor’s injury. That could very well be the case again this week as Tressel said today the QB could be limited to some degree.
Based on their upcoming opponent’s offense, though -- the Hoosiers are 13th in scoring and 4th in passing yards per game -- Tressel and his offensive coaches may not have a choice but to loosen the restraints they plan to place on a gimpy Pryor if the Buckeyes are to keep up with the explosive Hoosiers.
Then again, a less-than-100--percent Pryor may not matter as their opponents have yet to face a defense the likes of which Tressel possesses, especially on the road; his Buckeyes are ranked 11th in scoring and 18th in pass defense.
Suffice to say, this will not be Towson, Western Kentucky or Akron -- or, hell, Michigan for that matter -- quarterback Ben Chappell and his IU teammates will be facing Saturday.
