Ohio State head football coach Urban Meyer spoke on the weekly Big Ten coaches teleconference on Tuesday. The Buckeyes defeated Army 38-7 last week and face a 1-1 UNLV team. Meyer provided updates on his Buckeyes now and moving forward.
+ Asked about what progress he saw from his offense, Meyer said all phases were better. No disrespect to Army, but it was a much different animal than the Oklahoma game. They still have a ways to go. They need balance and efficiency.
+ Joe Burrow has been cleared and has been practicing. They will make the decision on who the backup is this week. Both quarterbacks give the Buckeyes a chance to move the ball.
+ UNLV’s running game is a tough scheme to navigate because of their talent and they have multiplicity in what they do on the ground.
+ Being at Utah was an incredible two years. They won a lot of games, but more importantly they built a program that was a sleeping giant. The Utah program was one of the most incredible melting pot cultures and he loved every minute of it.
+ Jalyn Holmes is very instrumental in the team’s energy. Everybody respects him. There is still more to be had in terms of his ability. He can still get better.
+ Dante Booker has a little bit of a sore shoulder. He didn’t play much last week because of the scheme that OSU went with. It was assignment-based and they felt other players were more capable of handling those assignments.
+ Meyer said he needs to see improvement in the pass defense. That’s “No. 1 on the hit parade” as far as needing to see improvement from the first two games.
+ Battling a quick-passing attack requires tight coverage and mixed attacks.
+ Johnnie Dixon has a hamstring issue. They’ll know more today and tomorrow. He tugged it early in the week. “I don’t think it’s long term. I think we caught it.” Talking about hamstring around OSU is like walking on hot coals because it can be so prolonged.