clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Why is this news?: Terrelle Pryor could play one more game at The Shoe, Ohio State wrestling takes a blow

All your Ohio State news in one helpful place.

By Meredith Hein
Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Terrelle Pryor may in fact be allowed to play one last game at Ohio Stadium as a member of the Cleveland Browns. The former Ohio State quarterback had been banned from all Ohio State athletic facilities for five years when he stopped cooperating with the NCAA investigation into improper sale of memorabilia. The investigation resulted in a one-year post-season ban, vacating of wins in 2010, scholarship reductions and the departure of head coach Jim Tressel.

The Browns are scheduled to play an Orange and Brown scrimmage at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 7. On Wednesday, the NCAA clarified the previous penalty, stating that if Pryor was still with the Browns, he would be allowed to take part in the scrimmage since the Browns would be renting the stadium for the game and it would not be an Ohio State activity. Pryor, who left Ohio State in 2011 amid the NCAA investigation, was picked up by the Browns Monday, who quickly announced that they planned on using Pryor in the wide receiver position.

Though best known for his quarterback play at Ohio State, Pryor did play one game at receiver for the Buckeyes in their 2008 Fiesta Bowl loss to Texas. Pryor caught one five-yard pass for a touchdown. As for his size, Pryor, at 6’4", 233 lbs. is in roughly the same class as stand-out receivers like Calvin Johnson, Julio Jones and Mike Evans.

Pryor was taken in the 2011 supplemental draft by the Oakland Raiders. He was released by the Bengals last week after losing out to fellow quarterbacks A.J. McCarron and Josh Johnson in the backup spots.

"It’s rare for the Buckeyes to be playing a MAC team with a legitimate shot at winning the MAC Championship. The Huskies should be in that mix again this year after winning their third MAC title in four years last season."

-Bill Landis, Northeast Ohio Media Group

According to Bill Landis, Northern Illinois has a two percent chance of beating Ohio State when the two teams face off Sept. 19 in Ohio Stadium. Ohio State will be coming off of its home opener against Hawaii, while Northern Illinois will have just faced Murray State in what will be the third game of the season for both squads.

Northern Illinois finished last season with an 11-3 record, winning the MAC West and ultimately clobbering Bowling Green in the MAC Championship to win the conference title. The Huskies are expected to do well in the MAC again this year, with good odds of a repeat championship. They return 13 starters, including seven on offense and six on defense.

While many of the MAC schools Ohio State has faced over the past few years have not posed much of a threat, such as last year’s 66-0 rout of Kent State, Northern Illinois has been a very competitive team in non-conference play in recent history, and has certainly not been a pushover team for the Big Ten teams who play them. The Huskies defeated Northwestern on the road in week two last season, and beat both Iowa and Purdue on the road in 2013. Ohio State has only faced off once against Northern Illinois in a week one win at Ohio Stadium in 2006.

The Huskies have a relatively potent offense, favoring quarterbacks with strong rushing capabilities. Returning starter Drew Hare, who took over the offense when former Heisman Trophy finalist and Northern Illinois star Jordan Lynch graduated, finished last season with 927 rushing yards--seventh in the FBS among quarterbacks. Northern Illinois also boasts a strong defense. The team had 32 sacks and 14 interceptions last year, placing them in the top 40 in the FBS for both categories However, the Huskies have had trouble stopping the run in the past, and those issues likely won’t stop against Ezekiel Elliott and the Ohio State offensive line.

"If Urban (Meyer) can win with his third-string quarterback, we can win with our second-string 197."

-Ohio State wrestling coach Tom Ryan via Tim Warsinskey, The Plain Dealer

Standout Buckeye wrestler Kyle Snyder is sitting out NCAA wrestling next year to train for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. His training time will count as a red shirt, and he is set to return to Ohio State for his final three years of eligibility the 2016-17 season.

As a true freshman, Snyder finished last season as the NCAA runner up for the 197 lb. weight class. His season helped propel Ohio State to its first-ever NCAA wrestling championship. Snyder was a junior world champion in high school with a 179-0 overall record during that time, and was the top-rated recruit nationally coming out of high school. This summer, Snyder cemented his spot on the U.S. team for the World Championships in Las Vegas in September by defeating former Olympic god medalist Jake Varner—the third time Snyder defeated Verner since the NCAA season ended.

Losing Snyder could be a problem for Ohio State, who was one of the favorites in next year’s wrestling season. Other teams like Penn State and Oklahoma State now have an improved shot. With the loss, the Buckeyes also lose one of their co-captains from last year. Combined with four-time NCAA champ Logan Steiber graduating, younger wrestlers will need to step up for the Buckeyes.

One of the factors contributing to Snyder’s redshirt is the different styles of NCAA and Olympic wrestling. While the NCAA competes in folk style wrestling, the Olympics use freestyle. It would be difficult for Snyder to switch between the two styles, as well as add needed weight for a different class, between the end of next year’s NCAA season and the start of the Olympic trials. With the redshirt, Snyder is able to maintain his eligibility while improving his Olympic odds and still training at the same location as the rest of the Ohio State team.

STICK TO SPORTS:

More From Land-Grant Holy Land