Ohio State coaches and players expect quarterback Terrelle Pryor and the passing game to exhibit rhythm and timing against Marshall on Thursday.
Thursday's season opener with Marshall will be the first chance for Terrelle Pryor and the OSU offense to display what coaches believe will be a more polished and effective passing game.• Marshall vs. Ohio State, Thursday, 7:30 p.m. TV: Big Ten Network
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The defining catch in the Rose Bowl was Ohio State tight end Jake Ballard skying for a Terrelle Pryor pass after the Ohio State quarterback escaped pressure and moved to his right.
That is not what the Ohio State passing game should look like Thursday when the Buckeyes start the 2010 season by hosting Marshall.
To search for progress in junior quarterback Pryor, junior receiver DeVier Posey and senior receiver Dane Sanzenbacher, as well as the Buckeyes' pass protection, set the clock in your head. The Buckeyes want to be in rhythm and on time, with Pryor running through his reads, then checking down to a running back or throwing the ball out of bounds if nothing is there.
"Boom, boom, boom," cornerbacks coach Taver Johnson said, counting off the internal clock in a quarterback's head and noting how often he's seen Pryor put the ball in the right position for his receivers.
"Watching them actually develop that is pretty good," Johnson said Monday after facing the Buckeyes' passing game all preseason. "I do think their timing is definitely improved. It's noticeable to me compared to last year."
The timing and the precision could be seen in yards after the catch, with Pryor more comfortable throwing the ball into a smaller area and giving his receivers a better chance to catch the ball in stride and make a move in the open field.
"Having all that off-season work, that's when you can get that worked on," Sanzenbacher said Monday. "When you first come in [to college], it's just getting the completion. When you start moving on, you can really start thinking about where does the ball need to be and when does it need to be there."
Johnson said he can tell Pryor has a better feel for when Posey, Sanzenbacher and third receiver Taurian Washington are coming out of their breaks, so he's less likely to hold the ball and more likely to let it out of his hand in rhythm.
Receivers coach Darrell Hazell said Pryor will be dumping the ball off to his backs and finding his receivers in routes that have always been there -- the Buckeyes just weren't good enough to execute them before.
"He's made light years [improvement] in his accuracy," Hazell said. "Understanding coverages, he's light years [ahead]. He'll be fun to watch this year."
Linebacker Brian Rolle said Pryor now recognizes the OSU defenses and calls them out before Rolle can. In the past, it was much easier to confuse Pryor. Head coach Jim Tressel said Pryor will be more involved in recognizing and changing what's happening at the line of scrimmage.
"He's a lot more involved in the discussions from a pass protection standpoint," Tressel said. "Pre-practice, in practice, pre-snap. ... He's wrong every once in a while because our defense does a lot. They throw a lot at you, but I've been impressed with how he has been on the mark when we've needed to make some changes."
It's reasonable to expect the Buckeyes will throw the ball a little more this season, including Thursday, than a year ago. But don't focus on the number of passes against the Thundering Herd as much as the type of passes. Count how often Pryor holds the ball and scrambles around before throwing, and how often he goes "boom, boom, boom" in rhythm, and makes his decision.
"He's so much better right now," Hazell said. "He gets back in his drops now and sees the field so much better now than he did a year ago."
Even better than he did in the Rose Bowl, when he completed 23 of 37 passes for 266 yards and was named the game's offensive MVP?
"That was just the beginning of greatness, I think," Hazell said. "I believe that."
Odds and ends: Starting defensive end Nathan Williams, who hurt his left knee on Aug. 14, will miss Thursday's game, but Tressel expects him to return for the Miami game on Sept. 11. Starting cornerback Chimdi Chekwa has been battling a hamstring injury but practiced Monday and will be ready for Thursday. ... Sophomore running back Jordan Hall will return kickoffs along with freshman running back Jaamal Berry and will return punts ahead of Devon Torrence and Corey "Philly" Brown. ... Tressel opened his news conference Monday by talking about the future of the Ohio State-Michigan game in vague terms for several minutes. Reading between the lines, Tressel doesn't like the idea of the game no longer ending the regular season, but he's going to publicly support what the conference decides and not rock the boat.