[Buckskin86]

Schlichter to Pryor: Be patient
By JON SPENCER
For The Advocate

BELLVILLE -- Take it from the most coveted quarterback to play for Ohio State: Six-foot-6 prep All-American Terrelle Pryor should be in no rush to make his mark with the Buckeyes.

"When you're a quarterback taking a step up to college or the pros, it's a tougher position than most to step right in and play," former OSU All-American Art Schlichter said. "You're the leader of the team and you're expected to know what everybody's doing and be confident about it, but the game is so much faster.

"When I went from high school to college, it was amazing to me the quickness of all the players. Then when I jumped from college to the pros, everybody was good. It took awhile to get used to, and I never reached my potential as a pro.

"Any time a kid can sit back and learn, it can only help him."
In retrospect, Schlichter said he probably should have redshirted in 1978 as a freshman member of Woody Hayes' final recruiting class. Instead, he unseated senior incumbent Rod Gerald, an option quarterback who had taken OSU to a share of the Big Ten title the season before.

Schlichter threw five interceptions in his debut, a 19-0 loss to Penn State in Ohio Stadium. The Buckeyes' 7-4-1 season ended with another interception by Schlichter, sealing a 17-15 loss to Clemson in the Gator Bowl.

It is a play that forever will live in OSU infamy. Middle guard Charlie Bauman picked off Schlichter's pass with the Buckeyes in field goal range and ran out of bounds in front of the OSU bench. In a fit of rage, Hayes snapped and slugged Bauman. Ohio State had no choice but to force its legendary coach to resign.

"Playing right away was important to me," Schlichter said. "It was more of an ego thing than anything. I probably could have used the redshirt year as much as anybody. ... I got baptized real quick.

"Fortunately, I survived it and was coming on at the end of my freshman year. Then I had a great sophomore season and that served as a springboard to my last two years."

The Advocate - www.newarkadvocate.com - Newark, Ohio