Columbus, Ohio – Freshman Terrelle Pryor made his first collegiate start a memorable one by throwing four touchdown passes to lead No. 13 Ohio State to a 28-10 victory over Troy in front of 102,989 fans at Ohio Stadium.

Getting the starting nod over senior Todd Boeckman, who had started the last 16 games for Ohio State, Pryor played virtually the entire game while setting an Ohio State freshman record with his four touchdown passes. His scores went to Rory Nicol (covering 13 yards), two to Brian Hartline (37 and 16 yards) and to Brian Robiskie (38 yards). For the game, Pryor was 10-for-16 for 139 yards with one interception in addition to the four touchdown passes. He also rushed for 66 yards.

Dan “Boom” Herron led Ohio State in rushing for the third-consecutive game with 94 yards off 20 carries.

“We knew we were going to start Terrelle going into the game,” Jim Tressel, Ohio State coach, said. “I had the feeling as if Terrelle was having some rhythm and he was wanting to throw the ball a bit. I thought he did a good job.”

Kurt Coleman recorded two interceptions to spark the defense. His first interception, in the second quarter, led to Ohio State’s second touchdown of the game. His second, early in the third quarter, stopped a Troy drive that had reached the Ohio State 34. James Laurinaitis totaled 12 tackles to lead the Buckeyes in that category.

Troy came to play – the Trojans had 310 offensive yards to 309 for Ohio State – and this game was a one-play contest until the fourth quarter.

“This was a very valuable game because Troy is a tough team,” Tressel said. “That was a physical game. Both teams played hard and expended energy. I was proud of the way our guys took on the challenge when it was a four-point game. They did a great job rising up.”

The game changed on the strength of two A.J. Trapasso punts. Late in the third quarter and with the score 14-10, Trapasso unleashed a 60-yard punt that was downed at the Troy 1. The Buckeye defense held and, two plays after the punt, Pryor hit Robiskie with a 38-yard touchdown pass to increase the lead to 21-10.

Another terrific Trapasso punt on Ohio State’s next series traveled 35 yards to the Troy 4. After the defense held, Pryor went to work again, finding Hartline in the end zone to cap a four-play drive for a 16-yard touchdown pass and a 28-10 lead.

“Two of the great plays of the second half were A.J. Trapasso knocking those two punts down on the 4 and the 1,” Tressel said.

The first half was virtually an even contest. Ohio State led, 14-10, at halftime behind two Pryor touchdown passes but Troy wasn’t phased and actually led in total yards – 170 to 164. Each team had one turnover. Ohio State was called for five penalties; Troy three.

Pryor led the Buckeyes to a touchdown on the opening series of the game. The nine-play drive was capped by a 13-yard pass from Pryor to Nicol.

The first quarter ended with Troy threatening in Ohio State’s red zone. Troy was not able to crack the goal line despite having a first down inside the 5 and settled for a 22-yard Sam Glusman field goal, making the score 7-3.

The Buckeyes struck quickly two series later to increase their advantage to 14-3. After Coleman intercepted Troy’s Jamie Hampton, Pryor took just four plays to get the Buckeyes back into the end zone, finding Hartline over the middle for a 37-yard scoring strike.  

Troy came right back, though. Hampton, who threw for 218 yards, drove the team 86 yards in five plays with Jerrell Jernigan coving the last 46 yards on a gutsy catch and run play.

The Buckeyes are now 23-1 at Ohio Stadium against non-conference teams under Jim Tressel. Next week, Big Ten Conference play begins for the three-time defending champion Buckeyes with a noon game at Ohio Stadium against 4-0 Minnesota. 

More Game Notes

Defending Champions
The game matched defending champions from the Big Ten and Sun Belt conferences. Ohio State is the three-time defending Big Ten champ. Troy is the two-time defending Sun Belt champ.

Conference Openers
Ohio State opens Big Ten play next week vs. Minnesota. Troy opened defense of its crown with a win over Middle Tennessee Aug. 28.

First Game vs. Sun Belt
This was Ohio State’s first game against a Sun Belt Conference team. The other football schools in the league are Arkansas State, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, Middle Tennessee and North Texas.

The Capital of College Football
Members of the 1968 unbeaten national championship team and the 10-0-1 Big Ten champion 1973 team celebrated their 40th and 35th reunions at the stadium today. Between 1968 and 1973 Columbus became known as the “Capital of College Football” as Ohio State teams won five Big Ten titles, two national championships and went to four Rose Bowls.