Everyone seems to have an opinion about Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor these days. From the impatient boo birds inside Ohio Stadium to the Sunday morning quarterbacks on talk radio, even to one prominent former Buckeyes player.

Glen Mason, who played for Woody Hayes in the 1970s and was later the head coach at Minnesota, is now a color analyst for the Big Ten network. He criticized Pryor last week for a variety of things, including sloppy footwork, staring down receivers and taking off his shoulder pads after he was pulled from the game at halftime of a 45-0 rout against New Mexico State that lifted the Buckeyes' record to 7-2.

A sophomore slump has made Pryor a lightning rod for criticism.

It began well enough for the former Jeannette High School star and nation's No. 1 recruit. He became the first true freshman to start at quarterback in 30 years for the Buckeyes last season. He won eight of the 10 games he started, with both losses coming against highly ranked opponents, and threw 12 touchdowns and only four interceptions.

This season has been a different story. Through nine games, Pryor has 13 touchdown passes and nine interceptions and had to suffer through a humiliating loss to Big Ten bottom-feeder Purdue.

Through "man-to-man" talks with Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, Pryor is learning that there is much more to quarterbacking a football team than handing off and throwing.

"It comes with the territory," Pryor said of handling the high expectations and criticisms. "The media has been ragging on me. The quarterback position isn't for everyone. It takes a special person to play the position because of what comes along with it. You just have to keep it upbeat."

Pryor is well aware of the criticism, but he is learning to take it in stride.

"I think people like to hype it up," he said. "Some things have been going on. Sometimes, not everything goes right. Playing quarterback, I can't let anything get to me. People can say whatever they want. I know I have to move forward. Everyone has bad games."

The worst game of Pryor's career came three weeks ago when he turned the ball over four times in a 26-18 loss against a Purdue team that had lost five consecutive games. That prompted calls for his benching.

Pryor currently oversees the 10th-ranked passing offense in the Big Ten. He has thrown for 200 yards only three times and, at times, has looked like a fish out of water running Ohio State's pro-style offense.

But, when a reporter asked him earlier this week about some of his "struggles" this season, Pryor took exception.

"Some people say 'struggle,' " he said. "What do you mean by struggle? Interceptions will happen. They happen to the best in the NFL. I'm not struggling at all. We've started throwing up some points again."

Since the Purdue loss, Ohio State has outscored its past two opponents, 83-7, entering the game tomorrow at Penn State, his first game in his home state since he graduated from high school.

Roy Hall, head coach at Jeannette and Pryor's former position coach, gets upset when he hears criticism of his former pupil. Hall said he has never come across a player with such a high level of work ethic as Pryor has, has never met another player who cares as much about not disappointing his teammates and coaches.

Hall said that's Pryor's biggest problem: Pryor wants to win so much that he tries to take everything on his shoulders.

"No one knows what kind of adjustment it has been for Terrelle," said Hall, who speaks with Pryor after every game. "He went from a small school to the big stage. In his first year, he thought he could push for the starting position, maybe beat out [Todd Boeckman] by the middle of the year. But he ended up starting the fourth game. I do get upset when I hear people criticize him. He's only a sophomore. He's only 20 years old."

Pryor did not have the benefit of redshirting coming out of high school like many high-rated quarterback recruits. Former Texas star Vince Young, the player to whom Pryor is often compared, redshirted when he was a freshman with the Longhorns.

When Young was in his second season at Texas, he shared time with Chance Mock. It was not until his third season that he was a full-time starter.

"It was about this time in his career that Vince Young turned the corner and didn't lose another game," Texas coach Mack Brown said. "I see Terrelle Pryor doing the same thing. Before he leaves Ohio State, he'll lead them to a national championship. He's that type of player."

When Young led Texas to a national title in 2005, Brown redshirted another highly rated recruit. Colt McCoy is now a senior and has the Longhorns in contention for an undefeated season and a berth in the national championship game.

Tressel opted to go in the other direction and play his prized recruit right out of the gate. Pryor played in Ohio State's first three games last season and, by week four, Tressel decided to bench Boeckman, his captain and a fifth-year senior in favor of Pryor.

Tressel said there was no downside to playing Pryor early, even though he came from a spread-option offense at Jeannette and only averaged eight pass attempts per game as a senior.

"Experience is everything," Tressel said. "If you look at someone like [Penn State quarterback] Daryll Clark, who I believe is six years removed from high school. I'm sure Daryll Clark in year two wasn't what he is now. I'd venture to say that Terrelle is further along at this point in his career. There is no price tag you can put on experience."

Pryor will make his 20th career start tomorrow against Penn State. Young did not make his 20th start until the first game of the 2005 season, his fourth and final season with the Longhorns.

It's not expected to be a friendly homecoming for Pryor tomorrow at Beaver Stadium. Pryor got wind of a campaign by the Penn State marketing association that was selling $10 T-shirts that depicted a crying Pryor being consoled and handed tissues by the Nittany Lions mascot.

"I guess some people will do anything to get to a player," Pryor said. "I might try to get a couple of those shirts. I'm going to try to get one so I can wear it during warmups."

Yesterday the university put an end to the selling of the T-shirts because of student and alumni complaints that it did not reflect Penn State values.

In another time, Pryor would have been incensed by the T-shirt campaign. When he was at Jeannette, opponents would draw him into senseless personal-foul penalties because he was easily goaded.

Now, he is amused by it. It will be a more composed and relaxed Pryor who will be leading the Buckeyes against Penn State in a game that could have Big Ten title implications.

"I've calmed down," he said. "Now, I kind of need to be more relaxed and focused."

Pryor understands the dynamic at work. He is a native Pennsylvanian who chose Ohio State over Penn State. Penn State fans gained a measure of satisfaction when the Lions toppled the Buckeyes, 13-6, last year at Ohio Stadium. Now 110,000 Penn State partisans want to see him go back to Ohio State with another loss.

"He knows the fans will be on him because he's a Pennsylvania boy who went to Ohio," Hall said. "But I'll tell you one thing: When he is under pressure the most, that's when he always seems to come out on top."

The odds are certainly stacked against Pryor.

Penn State has the nation's No. 1 defense and allows only 9.3 points per game.

Pryor admittedly is still trying to get on the same page with new players at receiver and running back after the graduation of three players who are now earning paychecks in the NFL -- running back Chris Wells and receivers Brian Hartline and Brian Robiskie.

In addition, Pryor has a variety of nagging injuries. He has turf toe on both of his feet, a sprained ankle and a sore knee.

"But I wouldn't miss this game for anything," he said. "They'd have to kill me for me not to play in this game."

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