Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer spoke for a bit on Tuesday’s Big Ten coaches teleconference. He provided some updates on his football team and also looked ahead to what the Buckeyes will face on Saturday when they host Illinois. Here are the highlights.
+ Asked what he was most happy with from this past game, Meyer said the offensive line play “without question.” Michigan State has a very good rush defense, and it is not easy to do what the OL did.
+ There has been no discussion about the playoffs. They have only been talking about the team, injuries, the opponent this week.
+ Dre’Mont Jones is a consistent and excellent player. He handles his business and does everything right on and off the field.
+ Jones’ targeting call was the third legitimate ejection they’ve had. Meyer has met with Greg Schiano to get this stuff fixed. It’s a good rule and good for the game, but they have to continue to educate and teach them that this is not acceptable.
+ Blake Haubeil has been doing a great job on kickoffs. He is kicking it right where it is supposed to be.
+ Tuf Borland staying on the field will be determined in practice and discussions in the next two days. He sees Borland playing a lot the rest of the season.
+ Jerome Baker has been cleared and Dante Booker is questionable.
+ Tuf Borland is consistent. He works every day. He does things right and is a very valuable guy for our program.
+ Senior Day is a unique experience in the Horseshoe. It’s an incredible tradition to salute the players. He doesn’t expect any kind of let down and that starts with the coaches.
+ Illinois has played some close games against ranked teams. You can see some talented youth with “brilliant futures.” “We just have to make sure that future isn’t this Saturday.” They have two defensive tackles who can play anywhere in the Big Ten.
+ Asked if OSU has developed its identity yet, Meyer said those are great questions for after the season.
On Nov. 10 2007 my son and I sat (STOOD) in Section 20A, Row 16, Seats 25 and 26 to watch our Undefeated and No.1 ranked Buckeyes demolish the Illini and retain the Illibuck trophy.
We walked back to our hotel from the stadium and just went to bed and slept. There was very little if any conversation on the way back from the Shoe. There was little to no conversation as we drove back home the next day. The CEO as one (probably a disgruntled fla. homer) above would refer to him is doing the best he can to keep the team focused. We don’t need to second guess the coach nor should we attempt to match paychecks.
“That’s the reason why his teams are losing games during the season”. Most teams lose games during most regular seasons. Meyer does so at a rate MUCH less than nearly every other CFB coach. Meyer has only had 2 undefeated seasons as a head coach. Only LOL! 848 winning percentage (896 at OSU) I’m thinking he knows pretty well what he’s doing. More than we do for sure.
Well, maybe the CEO is doing such a lousy job that we should get Brady Hoke in here. Spoiled is what we are. So enamored with perfection that we can’t see greatness.
Sounds like most of y’all should have been head coaches in college football. Y’all got it all figured out alresdy.
When teams were running back kickoffs for TDs, the media got on Meyer and he blamed it on the kickers, saying they couldnt kick the ball in the end zone but that is what they he wanted. Now they did a nice job for a few games and all of a sudden he says this guy is kicking it right where we want it. Believe me there will be another TD on a kickoff this year.
He said if they could kick it out of the end zone every time, he’d do that instead this year, but they can’t. He would always prefer tackling somebody at the 15 rather than giving them the 25.
Where was the targeting call on the offensive lineman who did a blind side crack back “block” on Sam Hubbard. Oh I know. The refs (one who was looking right at it) didn’t see it happen. Tut tut, no harm no foul. The targeting rule is nothing more than the spearing rule with new definitions. CEO Meyer has his get out of jail free card with JT Barrett. The refs have their “try to level the playing field” get out of jail free card because their normal bad calls aren’t getting that job done.
CEO Meyer is dead wrong. Targeting is NOT a good rule. AT ALL.
This many games in and the CEO still doesn’t know what the identity of his team is. That’s the reason why his teams are losing games during the season. They don’t enter it knowing who they are. That decision should be made before the first kickoff and every game after building the chemistry and execution of that identity.
How the heck are players supposed to buy in and commit to a scheme if the staff doesn’t have a clue about the identity of the team before the season gets underway? Maybe that’s why a roster like Wisconsin is generally stable and execute well. They know who they are going into the season with player talent rated quite a bit lower than the roster of Ohio State.
I have a big problem with spearing calls where a running back lowers his head in an effort to run over a tackler whose head is at waist level with the defensive player being charged with targeting for the crown on crown tackle. Offensive players are spearing too. Offensive players often deliver blows to a face mask to ward off a tackle, but a defensive player getting into a face mask is often flagged.
I have made that same comment before, Jerry. Seems like most rules changes out there are really designed to promote the offense over the defense, as opposed to “player safety”. The truth is that offensive players commit this penalty as least as often as the defense, and linemen in particular violate the rule EVERY PLAY if they are lined up directly against each other- they literally cannot help helmet to helmet contact. That’s the problem with the rule, its so broad and purposeless that officials are “reading” their own purpose into it. Most of the time, when a DB hammers a receiver, its because the quarterback lofted a fluff ball to the receiver to avoid getting his jersey dirty. Maybe the QB should be flagged for throwing a lousy pass that put his teammate in danger! (yes, that last was a joke).
The thing I am most happy with, is that the offensive staff woke up and ran the darn ball.
Identity? yeah, Robert Louis Stevenson wrote a great book about it: Strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
IL can hang with OSU as they hung with IA and others. I would expect Urban to get off to a fast start and use this as large scrimmage to prepare for MI. JTB needs to sharpen his passing skills. Jone’s hit was foolish at best and should not have been targeting, of that was targeting then so should have been the devastating block put on Hubbard near the end of the first half after JTB’s pic. The other negative effect of that late hit was that it over ruled a nice interception.
Am I insane? I thought the targeting call was horrible. The only one this year I felt was legitimate was the one play where OSU’s guy delivered a forearm shiver to the Maryland QBs face and broke his jaw.
Hi Jonathan- no, you are NOT insane. The targeting call was atrocious, the personal foul was correct. Its insane that refs and even coaches are so confused and under pressure to be politically correct, that they say things I don’t think they mean.
Nope, you’re not insane. This is what CEO Meyer becoming a CEO in the first is all about. Pussification of Ohio State football. If he was truly onboard with the program and these players there’s no chance in a million he would be saying that political correctness garbage.
I think he hired in as 100% Scarlet and Gray. Over the course of the last 3 years he’s become nothing but 100% behind green and promoting nonsense.
The play you mentioned was on Damon Arnette. That was the right call. The one on Nick Bosa I think was the right call too. He literally had to jump above a guy and then shove his head at the quarterback. The call on Dre’Mont Jones is total BS, and the flag thrown against Sheffield never should have been thrown in the first place.
Mr. Mills, you are a piece of work. You take an interesting discussion about targeting calls and, once again, turn it into your favorite diatribe against “CEO” Meyer. You won’t be happy until Meyer is fired. But keep posting. They are amusing reads. The targeting rule is a good rule that is just vague enough as to be a nightmare for referees to enforce correctly. And as far as the “identity” thing you jumped all over COACH Meyer about, this team has been schizophrenic all year. Gets blown out by Iowa and then blows out Michigan State the next week. Plays three quarters of crappy football against Penn State and then plays a near perfect 4th. This year’s team has been frustrating to watch but really fun at the same time. Now, unlike you, I’m not a football coach. Never have been. Never played anything more than pick up football, and I wasn’t very good at that either, so I don’t have your extensive coaching or playing experience. But it seems to me that it can be a real challenge to talk a bunch of very physically talented 19-20 year old kids, who were heroes in high school, to buy into a system where they have to be a cog in a machine and not the hero every weekend. And this year, outside of Alabama, every other team in the nation is going through the same thing. It’s what makes college football so much fun to watch. You can vent and call coaches names all you want. I’m just gonna sit back and enjoy the season, and be glad that Tony G. is writing articles on the Ozone and not you. 🙂
Not insane–that was one of the worst calls i’ve seen all year. the rule needs revamped and better training for officials and the replay officials, who really suck this season.