Scrimmage Reports: OSU's Pryor, 'Bama's Jones Impress

Teams around the country held live scrimmages this weekend, and as usual, there was both good and bad news to report.

Here's a quick rundown:

• In Columbus, Ohio State coach Jim Tressel says freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor has been impressive, surprising coaches and teammates by looking to throw first, rather than relying on his legs to make plays. Tressel says this makes Pryor different than former Ohio State Heisman winner Troy Smith, who generally tried to run, rather than throw, early his his career.
• In Los Angeles, the UCLA defense seems far ahead of the UCLA offense -- hardly a surprise given the Bruins' lack of depth at quarterback. The team has lost both starting quarterback Ben Olson and backup Patrick Cowan to injury, but didn't show much promise in the running game on Saturday, either. Said UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel: "Obviously, given where we are with the offensive line and an inexperienced quarterback, you like to not put all the pressure on the throwing game."
• In Happy Valley, Penn State's defense -- which has already lost potential All-American linebacker Sean Lee to injury and seen defensive tackles Phil Taylor and Chris Baker booted from the team -- suffered yet another blow, as promising redshirt freshman defensive tackle Devon Still sustained a broken leg in Saturday's scrimmage.
• Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville reports that his squad looked "sluggish" in its most recent scrimmage. "It looked like we were running in the mud at times," Tuberville told the Birmingham News. That's not entirely surprising, given than this Auburn team -- ranked No. 10 in the just-released Associated Press poll -- is one of the most overrated squads in the country. Top 25? Certainly. Top 10? No way.
• Across the state in Tuscaloosa, meanwhile, Nick Saban's most recent recruiting haul looks like it might pay early dividends. Freshman receiver Julio Jones, considered by many experts the top high school player in the country last year, caught five passes for 125 yards and a touchdown in the Tide's weekend scrimmage. "There was a huge difference in some of the young players from last week to this week," Saban told the Montgomery Advertiser. "And I think that's going to be helpful to us from a depth standpoint."

Photo: Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson has been throwing early and often to freshman wideout Julio Jones in preseason camp. (Doug Benc/Getty Images)