Pryor leads Buckeyes past Ducks 26-17 in Rose Bowl
Friday, January 1, 2010
Terrelle Pryor jumped on a golf cart and rode up the Rose Bowl tunnel in his grass-stained uniform, heading out to pick up a trophy. A clutch of departing Ohio State fans caught sight of his No. 2 jersey and let loose the sort of wild cheer Pryor always imagined would be the soundtrack to his career. Ohio State's bowl woes were over, thanks to a quarterback who finally played up to his enormous potential — and a sturdy defense that grounded Oregon's high-flying offense.
Pryor passed for a career-high 266 yards and two touchdowns, rushed for 72 more and threw a 17-yard scoring pass to DeVier Posey with 7:02 to play, ending the No. 8 Buckeyes' three-game BCS skid with a 26-17 victory over No. 7 Oregon on Friday.
"I just wanted to come out and show I can be a complete quarterback," Pryor said.
From the opening days of bowl preparation, Pryor's teammates sensed a new focus in their sophomore leader, whose much-publicized recruitment had led to two solid seasons, but not the transcendence many expected from the mobile passer. With a Rose Bowl effort that evoked memories of Vince Young's breakout performance in the same stadium four years ago, Pryor shook off his early mistakes and led the Buckeyes (11-2) confidently through a tense fourth quarter.
Turns out nothing was wrong with the Buckeyes' sophomore quarterback that winning the Rose Bowl couldn't cure.
"I think he wanted to have a game that puts him out there in the national ranks, puts him on the map," said receiver Dane Sanzenbacher, who had nine catches for 64 yards. "You could see it with Terrelle in the huddle. He kept his poise and kept us moving. It's something we see in practice all the time, but everybody else can see it now, too."
Even with two Big Ten titles and two wins over Michigan, Pryor hadn't matched his hype until this steady, sometimes spectacular performance on the biggest stage of his career. His frustrations with the sometimes-staid Ohio State offense evaporated with a surprisingly wide-open game plan against Oregon (10-3), taking advantage of his legs and arm.
"As a quarterback, you don't like running the ball," Pryor said. "It's kind of like being selfish. We have great running backs, and they need to get the ball, too. ... Whatever we need, I'll do it. That's what it's about on offense."
With Ohio State nursing a two-point lead in the fourth quarter, he took charge during a 13-play, 81-yard drive eating up more than six minutes — part of the Buckeyes' Rose Bowl-record 41:37 time-of-possession advantage.
After arriving in Los Angeles, Pryor disclosed he'd been playing with a partially torn knee ligament, and he came up limping early in the game. But Pryor said the knee didn't bother him, and you sure couldn't tell by the way he played.
Pryor converted a third-and-13 play near midfield with about nine minutes to play on a 26-yard catch by tight end Jake Ballard, who leaped high to snatch it. After another third-down conversion, Posey made an impressive TD catch, turning both directions and snagging Pryor's pass away from his body before tumbling over the goal line.
"I guess everybody knows he can throw now," Ballard said with a grin.
Posey had eight catches for 101 yards, and Brandon Saine caught an early TD pass for the Buckeyes, making their first Rose Bowl appearance since 1997.
Yet Ohio State's defense did much of the work, limiting the Ducks' no-huddle offense to its worst passing game of the season. Jeremiah Masoli threw for just 81 yards and LaMichael James rushed for 70. A series of big plays and kick returns by Kenjon Barner kept the 96th Rose Bowl close until Pryor sealed it.
"When I saw him in high school, he was a man amongst boys, and at times tonight, he looked like a man amongst boys," said Oregon rookie coach Chip Kelly, who recruited Pryor in Jeannette, Pa. "He certainly beat us on how he threw the ball." Oregon made a remarkable comeback from its season-opening loss to Boise State to win its first Pac-10 title since 2001, but the Ducks haven't won the Rose Bowl since the game's third edition in 1917, back when the Granddaddy of Them All was a toddler.
Masoli's 1-yard TD run put Oregon up 17-16 early in the third quarter, but the Ducks' powerful offense never scored again. Oregon ran for 179 yards, the second-most allowed by Ohio State this season, but the Ducks were one-dimensional. Oregon, in its first Rose Bowl since 1995, had scored at least 37 points in its previous six games.
"Definitely the whole night we were just a little bit off," said Masoli, who was 9 for 20. "We didn't really open up the playbook regarding the air attack. I don't know why. I wasn't calling the plays."
After Oregon's Morgan Flint missed a 44-yard field goal — his first miss since Oct. 3 — Pryor drove the Buckeyes one more time, finishing with emphasis by gaining a first down with a 12-yard run right after Oregon called its final timeout.
"T.P. took this game seriously, at a whole different level," Ohio State defensive lineman Doug Worthington said. "He was amazing with his arm and his legs. On the defense, we were just trying to get the ball back to him to make plays." LeGarrette Blount scored an early touchdown for the Ducks, but the once-suspended tailback also fumbled out of the end zone in the third quarter, ending a potential scoring drive.
The cheers Blount received on the way on and off the field highlighted a tumultuous season for the bruising tailback, who was suspended for eight games after punching a Boise State player in frustration after the Ducks' season-opening loss.
Ohio State marched 19 plays for a short field goal 1:05 before halftime, and Ross Homan's 20-yard interception return moments later put the Buckeyes in position for Aaron Pettrey's 45-yard field goal at the gun to make it 16-10.
Former Super Bowl star Plaxico Burress(notes) wants to get a break from prison, but prosecutors said Tuesday they will likely try to block his bid for work release because he hasn’t served enough time.
The former New York Giant applied for a work furlough—which would let him spend some portion of his time at home—on Nov. 25, about two months into his two-year sentence for carrying an unlicensed gun that went off and wounded him at a Manhattan nightclub. State prison system officials are expected to decide on his request next month.
Prosecutors said the bullet narrowly missed a security guard, and they insisted on at least a two-year prison term. A quick furlough would send “a very bad message,” Manhattan Chief Assistant District Attorney Mark Dwyer said Tuesday.
“It’s too early,” he said.
Burress’ lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, declined to comment.
Statistically, Burress’ effort is a long shot. Less than 5 percent of the more than 31,500 work release applications statewide were granted last year, according to the state Department of Correctional Services.
Under state law, inmates convicted of nonviolent offenses can apply for work furloughs within two years of their release dates. Burress pleaded guilty in August to a form of attempted criminal possession of a weapon that allows him to be eligible for work release, state corrections spokeswoman Linda Foglia said.
Officials deciding on furloughs weigh factors including the inmate’s crime, his prison behavior and any opposition to the release, she said.
Burress, then a Giants receiver, was at the Latin Quarter nightclub in November 2008 with a .40-caliber gun tucked into his waistband. He later said he was concerned for his safety because a teammate had been held up at gunpoint elsewhere days before. The weapon slipped down Burress’ leg and fired, injuring his right thigh.
The gun wasn’t licensed in New York or New Jersey, where Burress lived; his Florida concealed-weapons permit had expired.
Sentenced in September, Burress is now being held in protective custody at an upstate prison because of his notoriety.
Inmates on work release generally get to spend several days and nights each week out of prison working and reconnecting with their families; the exact arrangements vary for each inmate. Some are allowed out full-time for the last few months of their sentence, Foglia said.
It’s unclear what work Burress, 32, might do if given a furlough. The Giants released him in April, and the NFL has suspended him for the duration of his sentence.
Burress, who caught the Giants’ winning touchdown over the New England Patriots in the final minute of the 2008 Super Bowl, has said he hopes to play again.
Bauman: Granderson a proven commodity Outfielder ideally suited for homer-friendly Yankee Stadium
NDIANAPOLIS -- There weren't many places on the roster in which the New York Yankees, winners of the 2009 World Series, could make a sizable upgrade. But they found one place and they made the upgrade.
The place is center field, where the incumbent, Melky Cabrera, will give way to Curtis Granderson, obtained from the Detroit Tigers in a three-team deal that included the Arizona Diamondbacks. The teams agreed in principle to the trade on Tuesday.
Granderson is fast, he is an excellent defensive outfielder, and he has considerable power. If the triple is one of the most exciting plays in baseball, the man had 23 of those in 2007, so he personifies excitement.
On the flip side, Granderson has not been a big on-base-percentage guy, and as a left-handed hitter, he has tended to struggle against superior lefties.
But Granderson's intangibles are terrific. He is an extraordinarily positive clubhouse presence. Tigers manager Jim Leyland once said that Granderson had "everything going for him." Granderson, Leyland said, was intelligent, articulate, good-looking, a gentleman, a legitimate baseball player and, in the face of all that, still humble.
A player of this caliber is not obtained for free. The Yankees gave up three young players. Ian Kennedy, who was once one of their top rotation prospects before struggling mightily when given a shot at making the rotation in 2008, goes to Arizona. He missed most of the '09 season after surgery to repair an aneurysm under his right armpit. Austin Jackson is a solid outfield prospect who before this trade could have had a shot at becoming the Yankees' center fielder, and lefty Phil Coke had emerged as a capable reliever in 2009. Both are now Tigers.
Rounding out the seven-player deal, the D-backs will send pitchers Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth to Detroit and get right-hander Edwin Jackson in return.
It's effectively a three-for-one trade, but the Yankees are getting a proven commodity in Granderson. And he is only 28. As a left-handed hitter with some pop, he would seem to be ideally suited for the homer-friendly right-center-field area at Yankee Stadium.
There is nothing particularly wrong with Cabrera. But he is not as fast or as powerful as Granderson, or as good defensively in center. But Cabrera is still a useful player. Depending on how Johnny Damon's free agency works out, Cabrera could very well be the Yankees' regular left fielder. New York could feel comfortable with that outcome.
The point is, the Yankees have upgraded in center, all the way from "all right" to "exciting in a very good way." Their game plan for defending their championship, obviously, includes more than the pursuit of extremely expensive free agents or the most expensive pitcher on the trading block -- Roy Halladay.
After trading young talent here, the Yankees will have less of that commodity available to make a deal with the Blue Jays for Halladay. But the Granderson trade stands on its own merits.
This is a deal made by an operation that will not stand still after winning a championship. And this is not a question of being able to simply spend more than anybody else.
If you looked objectively at the 2009 Yankees, they were a terrific offensive club, they had a true No. 1 starter in CC Sabathia, they had found some depth in the bullpen and they still had the closer, Mariano Rivera, who over time has been the best in the game.
The least impressive grouping on this club was the outfield. It wasn't a bad outfield; Damon is still an admirable player and Nick Swisher is capable enough. But as a group, it wasn't as impressive as the rest of the team.
Now it's better. The Yankees didn't have to give away the store, and yet, they were able to upgrade to Granderson in center field. This is an astute move.
People who want a bigger splash from the Yankees might say: "But this isn't like signing Matt Holliday or Jason Bay." No, it isn't, because Granderson catches the ball better than either one of those guys, particularly Holliday.
Center field is like hallowed ground for the Yankees. No, this isn't Mickey or the Yankee Clipper they're putting out there. But Curtis Granderson still will work as a Yankee, because he is a winner on several different levels.
Mike Bauman is a national columnist for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
The bowl season is upon us for the 2009 College Football Season and all of the odds are out for this year’s postseason.
Bet College Football Bowl Games
The bowl season is obviously highlighted by the BCS National Championship between Alabamaand Texas. The Crimson Tide is a 5-point favorite heading into the title game according to oddsmakers from online sports book SBGGLOBAL. Alabama is coming off its dominant 32-13 win over Floridawhile the Longhorns narrowly escaped in a 13-12 win over Nebraska last weekend.
One of the featured BCS bowl games is the Fiesta Bowl meeting between BoiseStateand TCU. The Horned Frogs are 7-point favorites heading into the game, but the Broncos have a BCS win to their credit, while the Horned Frogs have never appeared in the BCS bowl. Both teams are undefeated this year and both have tremendous offensive potential.
The other unbeaten, Cincinnatiwill face Florida in the Sugar Bowl. The Gators are 10-point favorites for the bowl. Tim Tebow will be playing his final game with the Gators and face a Cincinnati team whose head coach, Brian Kelly, is entertaining talks with Notre Dame about their vacant head coaching position.
The Orange Bowl features a matchup of Iowa and Georgia Tech. The Yellowjackets are 3.5-point favorites over Iowa. Tech won the ACC Championship by beating Clemson while the Hawkeyes earned an at-large big into the BCS bowl.
The final BCS bow is the Rose Bowl which features Oregon and OhioState. The Ducks are 3.5-point favorites for the game as they are the Pac-10 champions while the Buckeyes earned the bowl bid by winning the Big Ten.
For complete odds on all of College Football’s bowl games, see below. 2009 College Football Bowls Odds & Over/Under Totals NEW MEXICO BOWL @ University Stadium - Albuquerque, NM - 12/19/09
201 Wyoming +10.5 Over 55.5
202 Fresno State -10.5 Under 55.5 ST. PETERSBURG BOWL @ Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL - 12/19/09
203 Central Florida +2.5 Over 44.5
204 Rutgers -2.5 Under 44.5 NEW ORLEANS BOWL @ Superdome - New Orleans, LA - 12/20/09
205 Mid Tenn St +3.5 Over 59
206 Southern Miss -3.5 Under 59 MAACO LAS VEGAS BOWL @ Sam Boyd Stadium - Las Vegas, NV - 12/22/09
207 BYU +2 Over 60.5
208 Oregon State -2 Under 60.5 POINSETIA BOWL @ Qualcomm Stadium - San Diego, CA - 12/23/09
209 Utah +3 Over 53.5
210 California -3 Under 53.5 HAWAII BOWL @ Aloha Stadium - Honolulu, HI - 12/24/09
211 SMU +14 Over 73
212 NevadaReno -14 Under 73 LITTLE CAESARS PIZZA BOWL @ Ford Field - Detroit, MI - 12/26/09
213 Ohio -2 Over 50
214 Marshall +2 Under 50 MEINKE CAR CARE BOWL @ Bank of America Stadium - Charlotte, NC - 12/26/09
215 North Carolina +3 Over 44.5
216 Pittsburgh -3 Under 44.5 EMERALD BOWL @ AT&TPark - San Francisco, CA - 12/26/09
217 Boston College +9 Over 45
218 Southern Cal -9 Under 45 MUSICCITY BOWL @ LP Field - Nashville, TN - 12/27/09
219 Kentucky +7 Over 52.5
220 Clemson -7 Under 52.5 INDEPENDENCE BOWL @ Independence Stadium - Shreveport, LA - 12/28/09
221 Texas A&M +7 Over 64
222 Georgia -7 Under 64 CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL @ Citrus Bowl Stadium - Orlando, FL - 12/29/09
225 Wisconsin +3 Over 56
226 Miami, Florida -3 Under 56 HUMANITARIAN BOWL @ Bronco Stadium - Boise, ID - 12/30/09
227 Bowling Green +1 Over 68.5
228 Idaho -1 Under 68.5 HOLIDAY BOWL @ Qualcomm Stadium - San Diego, CA - 12/30/09
231 Nebraska +1 Over 41
232 Arizona -1 Under 41 TEXAS BOWL @ Reliant Stadium - Houston, TX - 12/31/09
229 Navy N/A
230 Missouri N/A ARMED FORCES BOWL @ Amon Carter Stadium - Fort Worth, TX - 12/31/09
233 Air Force +5 Over 61
234 Houston -5 Under 61 SUN BOWL @ Sun Bowl Stadium - El Paso, TX - 12/31/09
235 Stanford +10 Over 56
236 Oklahoma -10 Under 56 INSIGHT BOWL @ Sun Devil Stadium - Tempe, AZ - 12/31/09
237 Iowa State +3 Over 48
238 Minnesota -3 Under 48 CHICK FIL-A BOWL @ Georgia Dome - Atlanta, GA - 12/31/09
239 Tennessee +4.5 Over 50
240 Virginia Tech -4.5 Under 50 OUTBACK BOWL @ Raymond James Stadium - Tampa, FL - 1/1/10
241 Northwestern +7.5 Over 54.5
242 Auburn -7.5 Under 54.5 GATOR BOWL @ Municipal Stadium - Jacksonville, FL - 1/1/10
243 Florida State +3 Over 60.5
244 West Virginia -3 Under 60.5 CAPITAL ONE BOWL @ Citrus Bowl Stadium - Orlando, FL - 1/1/10
245 Louisiana State +3 Over 44
246 Penn State -3 Under 44 ROSE BOWL @ Rose Bowl - Pasadena, CA - 1/1/10
247 Ohio State +3.5 Over 51.5
248 Oregon -3.5 Under 51.5 SUGAR BOWL @ Superdome - New Orleans, LA - 1/1/10
249 Cincinnati +10 Over 55.5
250 Florida -10 Under 55.5 INTERNATIONAL BOWL @ Rogers Centre - Toronto, Canada - 1/2/10
251 No Illinois +6 Over 50
252 South Florida -6 Under 50 PAPA JOHNS BOWL @ Legion Field - Birmingham, AL - 1/2/10
253 Connecticut +5 Over 53
254 South Carolina -5 Under 53 COTTON BOWL @ Cowboys Stadium - Arlington, TX - 1/2/10
255 Mississippi -3 Over 50.5
256 Oklahoma State +3 Under 50.5 LIBERTY BOWL @ Liberty Bowl - Memphis, TN - 1/2/10
257 Arkansas -7.5 Over 63.5
258 East Carolina +7.5 Under 63.5 ALAMO BOWL @ Alamodome - San Antonio, TX - 1/2/10
259 Michigan State +7 Over 60.5
260 Texas Tech -7 Under 60.5 FIESTA BOWL @ University of Phoenix Stadium - Glendale, AZ - 1/4/10
261 Boise State +7 Over 54.5
262 Texas Christian -7 Under 54.5 ORANGE BOWL @ Land Shark Stadium - Miami, FL - 1/5/10
263 Iowa +3.5 Over 51
264 Georgia Tech -3.5 Under 51 GMAC BOWL @ Ladd Peebles Stadium - Mobile, AL - 1/6/10
265 Troy State +4 Over 64
266 C Michigan -4 Under 64 BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME @ Rose Bowl - Pasadena, CA - 1/7/10
267 Texas +5 Over 45
268 Alabama -5 Under 45 Bet College Football Bowl Games
