Lesmerises, Livingston, Schmitt Boyer share what they'll remember of OSU vs. Minnesota
Doug Lesmerises -- Haunting Trojans
Pete Carroll, Mark Sanchez and Rey Maualuga were in Ohio State's postgame interview session on Saturday, or at least their aura was. The Trojans are tailing the Buckeyes.
USC's loss to Oregon State on Thursday night hit the Ohio State players in different ways. One was glad to see USC go down, Malcolm Jenkins was upset that Ohio State now looked worse as a result, Beanie Wells saw the way the Beavers ran the ball and really, really wished he had been healthy for the Trojans.
But Terrelle Pryor was the most interesting, joining the legions who believe the world is out to get Ohio State. And I'll remember his willingness to express his aggravation.
"If we would lose that game, we would get stuff talked on us,"
Pryor said, "but if USC loses, they don't get stuff talked on them."
Pryor had several strong words for the media, and showed he's not backing down from anyone. First, he remarked on ESPN analyst Mark May.
"People like Mark May, he said 'let's see how he plays on the big stage,' "
Pryor said, clearly unhappy with any suggestion of doubt about his big-stage ability. "And we're going to see next week."
"The media, ESPN people, sit there and talk stuff on our team and say we're dead,"
Pryor said after a separate question. "We'll find out this week coming up who's dead. We're out to show the world something, and we're going to."
And while I'm not excited by the idea of a rematch with USC in the Rose Bowl, it's certainly possible. And it might be different.
"That's over, we're not going to dwell on that. Beanie didn't play. It's over with,"
Pryor said, before adding, "If we played them again, I'm sure we'd give them a better game."
Bill Livingston -- Buckeye seniors
Booed last week after throwing a lone incompletion and taking only one other snap, senior quarterback Todd Boeckman completed five of nine passes for 65 yards and a touchdown in Ohio State's victory.
Senior wide receiver Brian Robiskie, who came back to try to improve his draft position in the NFL and to try to win a championship ring, caught two touchdown passes, one from Boeckman for 31 yards and one from freshman Terrelle Pryor for 8 yards. He gained 90 yards on his eight receptions. He only had 12 catches for 113 yards coming into the game.
Pryor is a tremendously exciting talent, but meshing him with senior talent asked either to take a seat or to mark time while he gains experience is an unhappy chore for the older players.
It was good to see Boeckman throw the deep ball in which he specialized last year as the Buckeyes won the Big Ten championship. It was good to see Robiskie, his top target as Ohio State moved up the rankings last season, dive at the back of the end zone and catch it. The Buckeyes' seniors have been treated as afterthoughts in the ascension of the prodigy Pryor. But they might yet have a say in how the season turns out.
Mary Schmitt Boyer -- Going down?
It was a happy crowd that filed out of Ohio Stadium into the sunshine Saturday afternoon.
Because the Buckeyes had the game well in hand, much of the crowd was gone by the time the clock ran out. But a few stragglers waited for the elevator at the press box level. There were sportswriters, some Ohio State officials and a few distinguished guests -- including Cleveland attorney Fred Nance.
As the wait got longer, so did the line. Once the elevator arrived, quite a crowd packed in.
Then Gene Smith arrived. Yes, that Gene Smith, the Ohio State athletic director.
There was an awkward pause since, basically, it's his elevator. People on the elevator briefly considered jumping out and letting him in. Then everyone -- including Smith -- laughed. The people on the elevator bunched up a bit more, Smith slipped in and everyone continued on their way.
