COLUMBUS — Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer spoke with the media following practice on Wednesday. He provided updates on his football team and looked ahead to Saturday’s matchup against Michigan State. Here are the highlights.
+ Defensive touchdowns aren’t necessarily cyclical. A lot of it has to do with personnel. Malik Hooker had a skill for it. There has been no change in the emphasis.
+ The team has had a good week of practice this week. They have responded well, but will have more of those conversations this week.
+ They expect to see some of the stuff this week from MSU’s offense that they saw from Iowa, so they have been working on those fixes this week.
+ This is a game between two very good programs. “It is a rivalry…” There is always a lot on the table when these two teams play.
+ How well a team bounces back from a devastating loss depends on the team. There’s psychology involved, but the team still has to respond.
+ The team has moved forward. They didn’t play well on defense and turned the ball over on offense.
+ Game planning is preparing for the expected and unexpected. The coaches need to make better adjustments. It also depends on the players being able to execute those changes.
+ MSU quarterback Brian Lewerke is a guy that deceptively fast and he creates a lot of plays on his own. He’s a very accurate thrower and a winner.
+ MSU has a very good defense with very good personnel. They are intent on stopping the run and OSU is intent on running the ball. “These games are won or lost up front.”
+ Meyer feels good about throwing downfield. “We’ve worked so damn hard at it.” Very comfortable with where they are in that regard.
+ Part of the job is to evaluate if Saturday was just a bad day or if there were long-running reasons. Saying it was a bad day is too easy. You have to find out why, which can be difficult as you move forward for the next game.
+ Trevon Grimes is still in Florida. He is finishing classes online. Meyer thinks the plan is for him to return. “I think so.”
+ MSU runs a 4-3 quarters defense, which allows an extra run defender around the ball. It’s hard to run the ball against them and they force you to throw over the top.
+ OSU has to be able to run the ball this week. They want balance, but the running game has to be there.
+ Meyer has talked to Kevin Wilson about needing J.K. Dobbins to touch the ball.
If Meyer really cares about his players, he will do what Kelly at Notre Dame did.
The Buckeyes offense sucks, it lacks creativity. I think the system is worse than the players. At least 5 plays per game they should put a lead blocker in the back field with Dobbins and let him create a little more.
“The team has moved forward”= ‘”I don’t want to be questioned about the train wreck at Iowa anymore, will you all forget about it please?” Nope, unless you actually FIX it rather than just talk about fixing it.
“OSU has to be able to run the ball this week” and “Meyer has talked to Kevin Wilson about needing JK to touch the ball”- these 2 points are at best lip service to fans, at worst outright lies. Don’t believe a word until the soup sandwich we’ve watched several times this year has actually CHANGED.
Meyer says “the team has had a good week of practice” every week. He said it last week before the Iowa game.
John Cooper used to say “we had an excellent week of practice” before each
Michigan game. So, don’t feel bad.
So Meyer says to get defensive TDs, its the personnell. Thats brilliant. So its week nine and he had a talk with WILSON TO GET DOBBINS MORE TOUCHES. THIS GUY CANT BE SERIOUS.
The last sentence was the best one. Let’s hold our fingers.
For the last 1-1/2 years every time I read Meyers press conference notes I think of the Mother on the Peanuts. Wag wa wa wa wa. It’s a bunch of crap. We are addressing it yet it doesn’t get fixed. Am I blind?? It sure as shit doesn’t look like your addressing it because the same crap keeps happening Game after game.
The running game HAS been there. The issue is that the CEO is too busy tending to everything BUT his organization. Apparently he no longer remembers how he got to the top. or what it took to get there. We’ll see if Humble Pie Saturday can slap him back to the earth and reality. Another fiasco like this in the same year might find him looking for climates where the heat of the Buckeye Nation sun isn’t nearly as hot. If he thought the temps in Florida were toasty, he doesn’t want to feel the heat from the blast furnace of scrutiny and demands from a real blue blood of major College football at Ohio State.
So NOW, you tell Kevin to run Dobbins more. While your at it, tell him to get his head out of his ass as well.
YOU ARE
“The coaches need to make better adjustments.” Amen, spot on, that and a QB that insisted on threading needles and an O that refused to run, helped create this perfect storm.