The 96th Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day will truly feature a tale of two quarterbacks from two different backgrounds who will both try to quell the whispers of critics.
Sports Illustrated’s Stewart Mandel called the recruitment of Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Terrelle Pryor “the most anticipated signing day announcement in history.”
Despite the lofty expectations, Pryor’s sophomore season has been somewhat of a disappointment. He struggled in the early season 18–15 loss to USC when he completed 11 of 25 passes for 177 yards and one interception.
Coach Jim Tressel and the coaching staff wanted to limit the costly mistakes that the young and inexperienced Pryor could make, so they focused more on the running game this season.
The result is Pryor has only thrown for 1,828 yards in 12 games with 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while running for 707 yards and seven touchdowns in leading the Buckeyes to a 10–2 record and their first Rose Bowl appearance since 1997.
Sports Illustrated’s Stewart Mandel called the recruitment of Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Terrelle Pryor “the most anticipated signing day announcement in history.”
Despite the lofty expectations, Pryor’s sophomore season has been somewhat of a disappointment. He struggled in the early season 18–15 loss to USC when he completed 11 of 25 passes for 177 yards and one interception.
Coach Jim Tressel and the coaching staff wanted to limit the costly mistakes that the young and inexperienced Pryor could make, so they focused more on the running game this season.
The result is Pryor has only thrown for 1,828 yards in 12 games with 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while running for 707 yards and seven touchdowns in leading the Buckeyes to a 10–2 record and their first Rose Bowl appearance since 1997.
Pryor’s counterpart in this year’s Rose Bowl is Oregon Ducks quarterback Jeremiah Masoli. Masoli did not have even close to the fanfare that Pryor had coming out of high school.
In fact, the 5-foot-11 Masoli was a one-star recruit who attended City College of San Francisco and led CCSF to a junior college national title as a freshman in 2007 before transferring to Oregon.
He began the 2008 season as a potential redshirt sophomore and the fifth-string quarterback in preseason camp before becoming the starter for 10 games and ending the season as the Pac-10’s third-most efficient passer and eighth-leading rusher.
This season, Masoli has exceeded all expectations by passing for 2,066 yards with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions, while rushing for 659 yards and 12 touchdowns in just 11 games. He led the Ducks to a 10–2 record and their first Rose Bowl appearance since 1995.
Masoli missed the game against UCLA this past October because of a knee injury.
Pryor is still trying to live up to the hype after being anointed as the next Vince Young before he even stepped foot on the Buckeyes’ campus. Masoli dismissed his height disadvantage and instead, worked his way from a community college into a starter on a powerhouse football team for the Ducks.
Only one can be called a Rose Bowl Champion.
In fact, the 5-foot-11 Masoli was a one-star recruit who attended City College of San Francisco and led CCSF to a junior college national title as a freshman in 2007 before transferring to Oregon.
He began the 2008 season as a potential redshirt sophomore and the fifth-string quarterback in preseason camp before becoming the starter for 10 games and ending the season as the Pac-10’s third-most efficient passer and eighth-leading rusher.
This season, Masoli has exceeded all expectations by passing for 2,066 yards with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions, while rushing for 659 yards and 12 touchdowns in just 11 games. He led the Ducks to a 10–2 record and their first Rose Bowl appearance since 1995.
Masoli missed the game against UCLA this past October because of a knee injury.
Pryor is still trying to live up to the hype after being anointed as the next Vince Young before he even stepped foot on the Buckeyes’ campus. Masoli dismissed his height disadvantage and instead, worked his way from a community college into a starter on a powerhouse football team for the Ducks.
Only one can be called a Rose Bowl Champion.
Friends Read Free