Buckeyes Much More Than Terrelle Pryor in Blowout Victory

First things first. Yes, Ohio State was playing a veritable preseason game in a 45-7 thrashing of Marshall. It wasn't a real test at all for the No. 2 Buckeyes, especially as they look to host the Miami Hurricanes next week in the Horseshoe.

Still, when we see an actual football game played by one of the best teams in the country, it's certainly worth drawing conclusions. And I'll gladly throw this one out there: while Heisman hype machine Terrelle Pryor was good, he wasn't nearly as good as the defense or running game of Ohio State.

There's no need to jump to Pryor's defense, as he was quite good. Great, in fact. The touted junior was a cool customer in the pocket, hitting on 17-of-25 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns -- most impressive was a perfect strike on a 65-yard touchdown to Dane Sanzenbacher to quickly answer the Thundering Herd's only score. Entering the season, the detractors of Pryor's would point to his inability to be a pocket passer. So if this game is any indication, he's made huge strides (he only carried the ball eight times for 17 yards).

But, again, Pryor was not the best thing about his team on Thursday night. And Buckeye faithful likely agree with this sentiment. This is one complete football team.

Senior running back Brandon Saine had his way with Marshall, slicing and dicing through the defense for 103 yards and two touchdowns on just nine carries. He had carries of 40 and 45 yards mixed in and looked the part of a man ready to take pressure of his quarterback.

The offensive line was dominant in the trenches, opening holes for Saine, Jaamal Berry (seven carries, 80 yards), Daniel Herron (seven carries, 44 yards) and Jordan Hall (five carries, 32 yards) while keeping Pryor comfortable.

The Buckeyes defense did its part as well. The group led by defensive end Cameron Heyward stifled Marshall, allowing less than 200 overall yards, zero points and 10 first downs. Marshall gained just 2.2 yards per rush and 4.3 per pass. Brian Rolle's interception return for a touchdown meant that the Buckeyes' defense scored more points than it allowed.

There were two real negatives for the winning Buckeyes, and they came on consecutive plays. On a third-and-three late in the first quarter, Pryor attempted a short pass to the left side and it was nearly picked off. It was a poor decision and very well could have resulted in a bad turnover. On the ensuing play, the Buckeyes' attempted field goal was blocked and then returned 61 yards by Ahmed Shakoor for the lone Marshall touchdown.

As for Marshall, it's real tough to take away a positive from a whipping like this, but it did penetrate the stout Buckeye defense on its first second-half possession. The Thundering Herd had a first-and-goal from the seven, but running back Martin Ward fumbled on a screen pass and Ohio State recovered. It would be as close as the offense got to paydirt.

Things don't get much easier for Marshall next week, but at least it's a home game. The Thundering Herd plays host to No. 25 West Virginia next Friday night. They should be much more competitive.

The Buckeyes move forward from this warmup to a marquee matchup, as they host No. 13 Miami -- a team coming off a blowout warmup of its own. And the 'Canes have their own big-name quarterback in Jacory Harris.

Just remember, when the hype this coming week says Harris vs. Pryor, we know there's much more to it than that.