Playing perfect Tressel ball

Lots of Terrelle Pryor talk coming out of Ohio State's victory at Penn State last weekend.

The sophomore quarterback threw two touchdown passes and rushed for 50 yards and a TD in the No. 10 Buckeyes' 24-7 victory, a win that set up a Big Ten title showdown between Ohio State (8-2, 5-1 Big Ten) and No. 15 Iowa (9-1, 5-1) Saturday at Ohio Stadium.

Pryor, a native of Jeannette, Pa., returned to his home state and delivered a mistake-free performance - with a knee that kept him on a stationary bike when he wasn't on the field - that perfectly complimented coach Jim Tressel's formula of enough offense, ferocious defense and strike force special teams.

Tressel was asked if this was “confirmation” that Pryor is on the right track.

“I don't know what ‘confirmation' means,” Tressel said. “Terrelle did a good job today. He got us in and out of things. He did a good job, but there's no such thing as ‘confirmation' because if you have a game next week whether you're a coach or you're a player, you can become ‘unconfirmed' fast. So, it was a step.”

It was a step, but it came with the help of the Tressel way or formula or whatever you want to call it.

Enough offense, ferocious defense and strike force special teams.

Immediately out of the game, defensive end Cameron Heyward was named Big Ten defensive player of the week. He made a team-high and career-best 11 tackles, including three for loss and a career-high two sacks.

And along those lines, return specialist Ray Small was named conference special teams player of the week with seven punt returns for 130 yards, including a pair of returns more than 40 yards to set up Buckeyes touchdowns.

The Buckeyes rushed for 228 yards, made a living on the field position Small delivered and didn't turn over the ball.

It was quintessential Tressel ball.

“We ran the ball, hit big passes, played great special teams and great defense. That's a Tressel win right there,” offensive tackle Jim Cordle said.

Pryor's best number might've been no turnovers. He completed 8 of 17 for 125 yards, including a 62-yard TD pass to DeVier Posey. He rushed for 54 yards on five carries, including a 7-yard TD.

He didn't electrify, he performed. Ohio State will take that.

“He was prepared,” Tressel said. “(OSU quarterbacks coach) Nick Siciliano, after their last quarterback meeting this morning, said, ‘Coach, T.P. is zoned in now.' . . . You could tell he knew what was up and I don't know what his passing numbers were, and I don't know how much he threw it, but he made some good, big throws and made some good decisions not to throw.

“If you don't turn it over, and you rush for over 200, and you have a defense like ours, and special teams, you're going to win most games. So, T.P. did a great job.”

Iowa's depth chart confirmed Monday what was pretty much obvious: quarterback Ricky Stanzi is out this week and likely the rest of the season. Reports surfaced Monday that the junior from Mentor, Ohio, underwent surgery on his right ankle, which he sprained early in the second quarter of Saturday's 17-10 loss to Northwestern.

Red-shirt freshman James Vandenberg will make his first career start at Ohio State.

He completed 9 of 27 for 82 yards against Northwestern.

Safety Brett Greenwood, running back Adam Robinson and wide receiver Colin Sandeman also weren't listed on the depth chart. All three are still nursing injuries suffered in the win Oct. 24 at Michigan State.

“November is for contenders, we always say that,” Tressel said. “That's why it's kind of hard to get too ecstatic right now, because you know the Hawkeyes are coming to town.”

Some of the Hawkeyes.