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It might not have been the most impressive performance by the two big programs, but it was a special comeback 18-15 win for Matt Barkley and USC. Does Ohio State deserve more respect for not getting blown out? The CFN writers give their thoughts on one of the biggest games of the year.
Pryor just ordinary
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Matt Barkley is going to be the face of this epic comeback win that kept USC's national title dream alive and proved once again that Ohio State not only can't win the big one, but it doesn't learn or adapt from the big ones it loses. But there's one reason for the Trojan win above all else.
Terrelle Pryor.
If you're the No. 1 recruit in America with alleged 4.3 speed and unlimited talent, you're supposed to be the best player on the field. If you go to a place like Ohio State, you're supposed to be the reason the team wins the truly big games, and while the defense has failed late in the last two big battles (the other being the Fiesta Bowl loss to Texas), the team wouldn't have been there against the Trojans had Pryor stuck the dagger into the beast.
All across the college football Saturday, several young quarterbacks stepped up to take their teams to another level. From Michigan's Tate Forcier, to Houston's Case Keenum, to South Carolina's Stephen Garcia, to Barkley, this was a day of young gunslingers and Pryor could've been one of them.
He didn't run decisively, he didn't make enough of the right reads and he didn't move the chains on third downs. Worst of all, his near-pick six thrown early in the game set the tone, and while the Buckeyes came back and took control of the game, Pryor was too tentative for long stretches. This was a USC team ripe for the picking and one that needed to be put away when there were chances. But he and the Buckeyes offense went into its typical shell, allowed the Trojans to stay alive and Ohio State lost another big game.
Pryor will be a special player. Eventually, he'll grow into a multimillion dollar NFL talent who can use his athleticism and his arm to be a transcendent player at the next level. But at this level, he has to be able to turn it loose. He has to be the player who gave the Trojans fits last year when he ran wild. He has to be the smooth, confident player who led the Buckeyes down the field to beat Wisconsin in a hostile environment. He has to run more decisively, he can't be afraid to make mistakes, and he has start playing like he believes he's the best player in college football. This is his Ohio State team, and while quarterbacks get the glory when they lead the way to wins, they don't get to sit next to Chris and Kirk when they don't get the job done.
Pete Fiutak
Close isn't good enough
There'll be no moral victories in Columbus, folks.
Ohio State had to shut the door on USC in the fourth quarter Saturday night. It didn't, which is going to haunt the program until the bowl season. There's no overstating how badly the Buckeyes needed to win this game. Their recent troubles in huge nonconference matchups have been well-documented and well-worn, creating a gnawing feeling in the gut of all things scarlet and gray. This was a chance to exorcise those demons at the expense of a Trojans team that featured a rookie quarterback and a few more question marks than in recent seasons. It was there for the taking until that rookie behind center, Matt Barkley, led USC on an 86-yard game-winning drive that bled the clock and took all the air out of the Horseshoe.
