A dash of speed: QBs Jeremiah Masoli, Terrelle Pryor add flavor to Oregon-Ohio St Rose Bowl

QBs Masoli, Pryor add flavor to 96th Rose Bowl

LOS ANGELES — Although Terrelle Pryor always has flash in his game, he went a little bit Hollywood this week.

While enjoying the sun and diversions of southern California, the Ohio State quarterback sometimes sported black-framed eyeglasses that don’t contain prescription lenses.

Don’t worry, Buckeyes fans: Pryor can see very clearly what must happen Friday for Ohio State (10-2) to end its three-game bowl skid against the high-flying Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl.

“We’re going to have to score points, maybe a lot of points,” Pryor said. “When you play a team that scores like Oregon, you’ve got to be ready to keep up. There could be a lot of points on that scoreboard.”

Jeremiah Masoli is counting on it. The Oregon quarterback is the ringmaster of a spread offense that racked up more than 37 points and 424 yards per game this season while the No. 7 Ducks (10-2) ended USC’s seven-year run atop the Pac-10. Oregon is in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1995.

“To finally get back to the Rose Bowl satisfied a lot of wishes by a lot of people,” Masoli said. “We had that as our goal from the first week of this year. Now that we’re finally here, we want to prove to ourselves that we can keep it going, take that one last step.”

The contrast of eighth-ranked Ohio State’s traditional scarlet and gray against Oregon’s latest ethereal uniform creation is just one intriguing aspect of the 96th Rose Bowl — a matchup of strikingly dissimilar programs in Pasadena. The Buckeyes haven’t been here since 1997.

Ohio State has thrived throughout the past decade under coach Jim Tressel, winning a national title and playing for two others with a regimented, smart approach. The Buckeyes’ style, like their coach, tends to be conservative and predictable.

Although Oregon has a similarly solid foundation, it’s best known for its novelties and a willingness to take risks, whether with a wide-open, spread-option offense or rookie coach Chip Kelly, who was an offensive coordinator at I-AA New Hampshire just three years ago.

“I want our players to savor the moment,” Kelly said Thursday. “They’ve earned this opportunity, and I don’t want to have them so focused so they’re not even allowed to enjoy this. … Our players, if you watch us play, we have fun. Our staff has fun, and this is what it’s all about.”

Even the five-time Big Ten champion Buckeyes’ defense, which gave up just 12.2 points per game while posting three shutouts, seems eager to get its first live look at Oregon’s offense. While Ohio State allowed just 11 touchdowns over its last 43 quarters, Oregon’s offense scored the same number of TDs in the past 10 quarters.

“It’s the ultimate test by far, of any offense in the country,” said Ohio State defensive lineman Doug Worthington, part of a unit that hasn’t allowed a 100-yard rusher this season. “Oregon is firing on all cylinders right now. They do a little bit of everything, and it’s going to be a battle of the titans when they have the ball.”

The Ducks’ prowess caught Tressel’s eye on television more than once after an Ohio State victory this fall, with the coach praising freshman tailback LaMichael James’ emergence as a superb replacement for formerly suspended star LeGarrette Blount.

“When you leave your defense on the field that long against good football teams, there is going to be a wearing factor,” Tressel said. “I know this: Chasing Oregon around will make them tired, too, so it’s going to be a great challenge.”

Ohio State’s possessions could be just as compelling. Oregon’s defense is full of outstanding athletes, but it was run over by Stanford star Toby Gerhart in early November. The Buckeyes might to a similar overpowering approach.

“Sometimes they get caught in their defense a little bit,” Pryor said. “Sometimes it looks like they’re mixed up when they have guys running around, but maybe that’s part of their plan. They have a good D.”

Although Masoli and Pryor are two of the most athletic quarterbacks in the nation, their pedigrees are nearly as contrasting as the offenses they run.

Pryor was among the biggest prizes in his high school class, and he listened to every coach from Joe Paterno to Kelly himself, who made six trips from Eugene to Pryor’s native Jeannette, Pa., before choosing the Buckeyes. Masoli went to a powerhouse junior college in his native San Francisco for one year after getting no desirable scholarship offers following his senior high school season in Hawaii.

The quarterbacks had never met before this week, but they already shared a healthy mutual respect.

“There are a lot of similarities in us, but the tools we have to work with are totally different,” Masoli said. “If you have the right skills and you’re not the prototypical quarterback, you can be really successful in this offense.”

From the wealthy alumni to the equipment managers, both schools have thoroughly enjoyed their first postseason trips to Pasadena in several years. After the Disneyland rides, the Beverly Hills beef-eating challenge and a week of practice, Masoli is eager to cement his legacy in what would be the first 12-win season in Oregon history.

Pryor is equally ready for what could be the breakout big game long expected from him, although he says he’s playing primarily for the Buckeyes’ tradition and reputation.

“If we lose, we’ve lost four (bowl) games in a row,” Pryor said. “That’s ugly, man. Can’t let that happen.”

(This version CORRECTS SUBS 7th graf to correct to scarlet sted crimson for Ohio State’s color)