Drew Thurman (7:15 pm)

The incredible 221 yards the offense put up against Purdue helped lead to one of the ugliest offensive performances I have ever seen. The defense and special teams led by Malcolm Jenkins had its swagger back, and played phenomenal unlike the stagnant offense. In a normal game we would be celebrating the 298 yards we held the Boilermakers to, but instead there is a feeling of frustration thanks to the offense.

This game was a simple issue of play calling. Yes, Pryor played a very poor game, but the playing calling has not helped the freshman gain confidence. It is easy to see that confidence is lacking right now while he holds on to the ball, is scared to make mistakes, and ends up taking terrible sacks. What have we done to help him build his confidence though? We never throw screens, slants, or have him bootleg. These are simple things that lots of play callers do to help their young quarterbacks gain confidence. The combination of terrible blocking and vanilla play calling has left the freshman phenom without the self-belief he needs to lead the offense.  

Tressel can call this "Big Ten Football" all he wants, but this style will not help us win against the stronger opponents. Our offense has to get better, and it starts with better play calling for Terelle Pryor. It's an easy equation: less predictability + creativity in the passing game = success for the offense and Pryor!

Check us out tomorrow for a full recap on the game

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