by HD HandshoeFounder—BlockONation
Separating the boys from the MEN.
After Michigan started the season 4-0 and Ohio State began 3-1, the media and UM fans wanted us to buy what they were selling—That UM was back, and that UM freshman QB Tate Forcier was "the man".What a difference one game can make.
I've heard and read UM fans referring to Michigan State as their little brother. It must really sting now that "little bro" has won the last two meetings, especially after this past weeks loss.
Every Michigan fan on the planet would have guaranteed a win and a 5-0 start before that game.
Forcier looked bad for all but the last six minutes of the fourth quarter, and UM lost in overtime, 26-20.
Whoops...
[/rant]
Ok, now as for comparing Forcier and Pryor to this point, we don't have much to go on but there are two things we do have that we can use to measure them against each other.
First is their individual performances against a common opponent (Indiana).
Second is their individual performances in the game that each has lost, as both teams are now 4-1.
(For the record, I am doing this because without much ground to stand on, UM fans would have you believe that Forcier is the better QB and a Heisman winner in-the-making, while Pryor, a player they all coveted in 2008, until he chose Ohio State over UM, "crumbles under pressure" and "can't throw" to save his life.)
vs. Indiana
Tate's numbers at home in Ann Arbor:11/21 passing, 199 total yards (184 passing, 15 rushing) and 3 total touchdowns (2 pass, 1 rush) with 1 interception
Terrelle's numbers on the road in Bloomington:
16/27 passing, 222 total yards (159 passing, 63 rushing) and 4 total touchdowns (3 pass, 1 rush) with 1 interception
Michigan's loss to Michigan State
Tate's numbers on the road in East Lansing:17/32 passing, 250 total yards (223 passing, 27 rushing) and 2 passing touchdowns with 1 interception
Ohio State's loss to Southern Cal
Terrelle's numbers at home in Columbus:11/25 passing, 213 total yards (177 passing, 36 rushing) and 0 touchdowns with 1 interception
Clearly Tate played better in UM's loss to Michigan State than did Pryor in Ohio State's loss to USC. But we know USC has one of the top defenses in the nation, while MSU is one of, if not the worst in the Big Ten.
So that tells us that Tate can play better against a bad "D" than Terrelle can vs. a very good "D", or in other words, not much.
Therefore, the best gauge we have are their individual performances against Indiana.
Pryor had slightly fewer passing yards, but more overall total yards (222 to 199) and more touchdowns. Pryor also played Indiana on the road, and the Buckeyes cruised to victory, while Michigan squeaked by MSU in Ann Arbor.
With it being a free country and all, you can make up your own minds, but I know who I'm picking and I don't even have to say his name, do I?
Here's a hint though in case you need it:
He's 12-3 as a starter and Tate only has five career starts....
While I do not claim this to be a scientifically proven and infallible method for comparing the two, it absolutely does provide some insight for now, and provides a jumping off point to spark the debate and add fuel to the rivalry fire.
It will ultimately be settled on the field on November 21, 2009 in Ann Arbor.
BlockONation ::: Buckeye Football Lives Here
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Pryor has only lost 2 games as a starter, Penn State and USC, he did not get the start against Texas, Todd Boeckman did.
ReplyDeleteI don't think all Michigan fans will say Tate is better than TP right now, but we are happy with his decision to go to OSU now that we have a guy for 4 years that we really like. We really don't have a lot to go on to know if TP can have the same intangibles that Tate has because of the talent he has around him(defense especially) making it not necessary for him to carry the team week in and week out. Sometimes a QB has the ability to look more clutch when his team is always losing in the 4th quarter.
ReplyDeletePryor has only lost 2 games as a starter, Penn State and USC, he did not get the start against Texas, Todd Boeckman did.
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I'm well aware of that, but TP was the starter regardless of Boeckman being out there on the 1st play vs. Texas, so let's not split hairs here...
Starter means the guy that gets the first snap at whatever position, that's what starter means. Pryor did not start, Boeckman did. Pryor got the majority of the playing time, but he did not start.
ReplyDeleteSometimes multiple players at whatever position will play in a game, but whoever had the first snap was the starter for that game, like a team that uses RBBC.
You can look at the "STATS" or you can look at the FILM. The film speaks for itself....'nough said....
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