COLUMBUS, Ohio -- No. 2 Ohio State jerseys were sold out at the official team apparel store outside Ohio Stadium two hours before the Buckeyes kicked off Saturday afternoon against Purdue. One look at the sea of fans clad in red and white who made their way into the Horseshoe and it was not hard to figure out where they had gone.

People of all shapes and sizes donned the jersey of Ohio State's new football star, Jeannette's own Terrelle Pryor, 19, a true freshman quarterback who quickly is becoming a fan favorite.

Pryor, the No. 1 recruit in the nation, lived up to his considerable hype by winning the starting job from fifth-year senior Todd Boeckman three weeks into the season, by breaking school records in his first start and by leading a rousing late comeback in a game at Wisconsin.

Pryor was making it look easy, as he had during his sublime high school career at Jeannette, where he won 45 games, two WPIAL championships and a PIAA title.

But major-college football is not easy for any player, and Pryor found that out in his last outing against Purdue. The 16-3 victory against the Boilermakers proved that no one -- not even a supremely talented player such as Pryor -- has such a seamless transition into NCAA play.

Ohio State did not score an offensive touchdown against Purdue, and groans inside Ohio Stadium could be heard after every failed possession.

The Buckeyes could manage only 222 yards of offense. Pryor threw for just 97 yards and was sacked three times, and his signature running game, the trait that made him the most sought-after player in the country, was stuck in neutral. The wunderkind who was showered with praise only a week earlier described his performance after this game as "terrible."

During Pryor's postgame interview session, his shoulders were hunched and his expression stern. There was no evidence that Ohio State had improved to 4-0 with him as the starting quarterback, or that the Buckeyes, ranked No. 11 this week, still had an outside shot at competing for the national championship.

"It was frustrating," said the 6-foot-6, 235-pound Pryor. "We have to get things clicking. We have to start getting things done and helping the defense out. It seems like I'm down. I'm not down. I put a lot of pressure on myself to do great, and I just think I did bad today."

Teams are learning how to defend Pryor. Purdue placed eight players near the line of scrimmage and dared Pryor to throw the ball. He could only manage 10 completions.

Running was just as difficult as the Boilermakers stuffed his running lanes and limited him to 27 yards. After rushing for 163 yards in his first two starts, Pryor has run for just 47 the past two games.

"In high school, Terrelle could run all over anyone," Ohio State tight end Jake Ballard said. "It didn't matter. He could have no offensive line and still run all over people. Here, it's going to be a little harder for him to do that all the time.

"He just needs to have confidence in his arm to make those throws. He can make plays with his arm. I'm not sure if he realizes that yet. That's why he takes off running the way he does. He just has to have confidence in himself and not second-guess himself."

Coach Jim Tressel's conservative play-calling only adds to Pryor's challenge. After the special teams blocked a punt for an early touchdown against Purdue, Tressel did not put Pryor in situations where he could make the big mistake.

Being asked not to lose a game instead of winning it is something new for Pryor.

"Whatever coach calls we have to execute," is all Pryor would say about the game plan that allowed him to attempt just 14 passes.

"A lot of people forget that Terrelle Pryor is a freshman," defensive lineman Doug Worthington said. "He's going to get better. He's learning our offense. He's getting better every day in practice. He's going to be something special."

Worthington and other teammates heaped praise upon Pryor for his work ethic in the weight room, in videotape study and his easy approach with older teammates. For those reasons, they are sure greatness is on the horizon.

But they never once spoke about Pryor in the present tense in that way. It was as obvious to them as it was the 105,378 inside the stadium that Pryor has far to go in his development.

"I think he's doing a good job of handling the whole situation," offensive lineman Steve Rehring said. "He's doing real well keeping his head up. He'll have a bad play here and there, and he'll keep his head up and stay confident. He shows great confidence. He's going to be a great leader eventually. You can see it already."

Pryor is discovering on the job the tremendous difference between high school and the major-college game. He is beginning to understand that he is now a man among men. Players across the line are just as fast as he is and lower the boom with ferocious hits the likes of which he never experienced in high school.

Pryor told Willie Burns, his godfather and close confidant, after the Wisconsin game that he had never been that sore after a game in his life.

It only gets tougher. On Saturday, Ohio State plays at No. 20 Michigan State, then tackles No. 3 Penn State in Columbus the following week.

For the first time, football isn't as simple as Pryor made it look for all those years. Greatness at this level is achieved on a week-to-week basis, and those loud cheers at one game can be replaced with jeers the next.

"Hard days come," he said. "It's not going to be easy."