Ohio State Offense Says It's About To Explode

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State's offensive players say the unit is really close to breaking loose.

"I'm sure with a young offense, you're always that one block away or that one arm-tackle away from going to the house," C Mike Brewster said. "I wouldn't say (it's) frustrating, but as long as we keep seeing progression, we'll be all right."

WR Ray Small said he felt that the Buckeyes were close to exploding.

"The next week coming out we can always just explode at any given moment with Terrelle (Pryor) as the quarterback," Small said.

Pryor said he felt the same way.

"Some offensive teams, they don't get to their peak until midseason," he said. "We're still looking for some stuff that I feel where we're getting our timing down a lot better. The coaches are coming up with greater plays. We've got guys who are just willing to play and fight. I can vibe with the explosion happening. I just can't think of the words. I like the way he put it, 'exploding.' That's the best way to put it."

Coach Jim Tressel said it was good that his offensive players were thinking like that, but you can't have an explosion without some fuel.

"Any time you don't get as many plays as you'd like and you don't do as well as you'd like, you have a little bit of that feeling, something inside of you says, 'We've got to explode,"' he said. "Now, we have to go do that."

PRYOR ON PLAY-CALLING: The Ohio State quarterback said he never checks off the play call at the line and doesn't really want to.

Pryor believes that the coaching staff calls only plays that will work.

"Usually whatever play they send in, it's a good play," he said. "It's either the one side's for coverage and the other side's for (a different) coverage. Whatever way you want to do it, it's never going to be on the coaches on the calls throwing-wise. It's going to be on me throwing-wise because I have a choice of which side I want to go to."

INJURY UPDATE: Tressel said Thursday that OL Andrew Miller has lost 18 pounds since coming down with the flu, but that he hopes Miller will play at Purdue on Saturday.

OL Jim Cordle has made steady progress from a foot injury and may be able to play more than the coaching staff had expected earlier in the week.

"Going into the week, we thought, well, maybe if you could get 20 plays (out of Cordle)," Tressel said. "I would say 90 percent of what we did this week, he's done. He'll probably do 100 percent of what we do (Thursday). And that's a huge bonus to have a guy like him."

TB Dan Herron and DL Dexter Larimore are injured and will not play.

PRYOR'S PROGRESS: Here's what Pryor has to say about the offense, his play and how both are improving (despite what many critics in the cheap seats say): "I feel confident we'll play a lot better this week and for the next six or seven games that we have."

The main thing he looks at in the film room is his footwork. He believes he found something in his technique this week which should pay dividends against Purdue.

"I find a way every week to get confident. I really feel confident about this week," he said. "I really feel like I got something done with my footwork watching last game. I just feel that our timing is real good this week. Coach has put in some good plays this week, too, and I think we can light up the scoreboard."

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