Michigan football team has hands full stopping, replicating Ohio State's Terrelle Pryor

Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor celebrates after a 27-24 overtime win over Iowa last week. (Photo: Associated Press)

Think it’s hard stopping Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor in games? Try duplicating him in practice.

Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez said “a mixture of guys” including backup quarterback Denard Robinson will play Pryor on scout team this week as the Wolverines prepare to face ninth-ranked Ohio State (9-2 overall, 6-1 Big Ten) at home Saturday (noon, ABC-TV). “You find a guy 6-foot-6 that runs a 4.3,” Rodriguez said. “If I had him, he probably wouldn’t be on the scout team.”

Pryor combines prototype NFL size with rare athletic ability. He’s the only player to rank in the top 10 in the Big Ten Conference in both rushing (6th, 57.5 yards per game) and passing (10th, 160.1 yards per game).

Robinson, Michigan’s most dynamic athlete, can help replicate Ohio State’s speed-option game, but at 6-foot and 185 pounds, he’s not nearly as strong as Pryor.

“No matter how big the guy is that tries to bring him down, if you don’t wrap him up he’s going to get away,” linebacker Stevie Brown said. “You got to get low on him and you got to get a secure tackle on him, because he breaks arm tackles left and right. I saw him shake off (defensive) linemen, linebackers, (defensive backs). He does everybody like that, so you got to make sure you bring it whenever you try to tackle him.”

Michigan (5-6, 1-6) held Pryor mostly in check in last year's 42-7 defeat. Then a true freshman, Pryor completed 5 of 13 passes with 1 interception, was sacked 3 times and finished with minus-7 yards rushing.

Still, Rodriguez said Pryor, who he recruited out of Jeannette (Pa.) High School, remains dangerous as a playmaker. Through 11 games, Pryor ranks fifth in the Big Ten with 633 yards rushing and 9th with 7 touchdowns.

“He’s a very, very talented athlete, and they’ve won a lot of games with him again this year,” Rodriguez said. “I think Terrelle, he’s not a guy you like to play against because he is so talented and he can make a lot of plays. I think he’s doing quite well where he’s at.”

Dave Birkett covers University of Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at 734-623-2552 or by e-mail at davidbirkett@annarbor.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.