AP PhotosThough both arrived at their starting positions under difference scenarios, their success afterward has been indisputable.
On one hand there is McCoy, who led Texas to a 10-3 record after joining the Longhorns as the No. 15 rated quarterback out of high school by Rivals.com in 2005. Despite undergoing a redshirt year that season, the Tuscola native went on to guide the Longhorns with 29 touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 161.82 in his first season.
On the flip side there is Pryor, who led the Buckeyes to an 8-1 record as a starter after taking over for senior Todd Boeckman in week four. During his reign as the starter, Pryor led the Big Ten with an efficiency rating of 152.09 and sported a 12-4 touchdown-interception ratio.
"He's just a great athlete," senior Longhorn Brian Orakapo said of the Buckeye's freshman quarterback. "I've seen similar things with him that I saw with Vince Young back in his younger days. He's always trying to get positive yardage, he won't settle for just throwing the ball away."
The Jeannette, Pa. native was not available for comment after Tressel elected to hold the freshman out of all media events this week.
Pryor has only 553 rushing yards this season compared to the 998 Young had in his first season, but he has thrown for twice as many touchdown passes. If his progress is anything like Young's, it shouldn't take long before he evolves into a Heisman candidate. And Texas coach Mack Brown knows firsthand the value of having a dual threat quarterback.
"Vince [Young] redshirted, so it's a little bit different," Brown said. "I would think Terrelle may be further along right now. Both are great players.
"The thing Vince did was he grew as a quarterback and then made everyone around him better. I don't think comparisons are fair unless you go back to the same stage. I said the other day that Terrelle is going to have them in the national championship hunt for the next three years after this one. He'll do for them what Vince did for us."
But today it's McCoy leading the Longhorns to tremendous success on the gridiron. The junior has thrown for a career-high 32 touchdowns to seven interceptions en route to an 11-1 record and a Fiesta Bowl appearance. His journey to college football stardom began with relative ease, but a disappointing sophomore slump nearly cost him a starting spot. McCoy threw 18 interceptions in 2006 as Texas lost three games, the first of which came to the Buckeyes in the form of a 24-7 romping.
Yet McCoy is once again enjoying success and he sees Pryor following a similar path.
"Playing in the Big Ten is tough," McCoy said. "Playing for Ohio State is tough. I think it's very similar to Texas. I know the pressure he's faced and the high expectations people set. He's done a good job dealing with it all."
The biggest obstacle as a young quarterback, McCoy said, is showing teammates that a newly appointed starting position is warranted.
"I think the biggest thing coming in as a freshman is you have to earn the respect of your teammates before anything else," McCoy said. "Once you earn your stripes, then you have the ability to lead. I think that is the biggest challenge that young players face."
If the first 12 games of his career serve as a testament to the future Pryor has in store, then the Buckeyes' outlook is promising. Then again, the 19-year-old has already worn out his freshman label - at least to his teammates.
"Really, Terrelle is a 12-game veteran, so I don't even consider him a freshman anymore," said senior tight end Rory Nicol. "I think he started to realize what we are trying to do as an offense and that's probably his greatest area of improvement - his understanding of the game.
"He's legit. He's a winner."
The senior-laden Buckeyes can only hope the freshman sensation is enough to help shed a lackluster national perception and end its losing ways in front of a national audience.
Matt Gottfried can be reached at gottfried.35@osu.edu.
Be the first to comment on this article!