Something happened during the 41 days between Ohio State’s 21-10 victory at Michigan last November and the Rose Bowl.

Coach Jim Tressel took the training wheels off Terrelle Pryor’s bike. The quarterback threw for 266 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 72 yards in leading OSU to its first bowl win in four tries.

Tressel has demonstrated additional leniency in Pryor’s junior year.

Tressel often refers to Pryor as a perfectionist. The quarterback had plenty to keep himself busy with after laying an egg in a loss at Purdue last October.

In that game, Pryor committed four turnovers, constantly forcing the issue and paying the price.

Following the defeat, Tressel morphed the offense from Pryor-centric into run-focused. The Buckeyes relied on the legs of “Boom” and “Zoom,” taking the pressure off their work-in-progress signal caller.

As a result, OSU stormed through the toughest section of its schedule, disposing of Penn State, Iowa and Michigan in succession in November to capture a fifth consecutive conference title.

But Tressel knew that at some point, he would have to re-instill trust in his quarterback. Pryor didn’t let him down against Oregon.

And now, after a summer of further progression, Pryor seems up to the task at hand. Namely, playing the role of leader and offensive centerpiece for a championship contender. And Tressel isn’t shying away from maximizing his exploits.