Every Tuesday the Big Ten holds its weekly coaches teleconference, and this week Penn State’s James Franklin and Ohio State’s Urban Meyer took their requisite eight minutes to preview their upcoming game against each other this week. Meyer went second and answered a series of questions about his team and the challenges that Penn State will present. Here are the highlights.
+ Give Penn State credit because RB Miles Sanders has stepped right in and been outstanding, but it’s the quarterback that gets everything going.
+ The Penn State offensive line is one of the better OLs that the Buckeye defensive coaches have seen.
+ The Whiteout is always a difficult environment. “We’ve had great games with Penn State over the years.”
+ PSU defense has a bunch of new starters, but they are very good and active. Schematically they are what they’ve always been. They can rush both sides and the entire defense understands their scheme very well. The new starters look like old starters.
+ The running game has to keep the offense on schedule. PSU’s defense takes great pride in getting the offense off schedule.
+ Asked about the College Football Playoff decision making process, Meyer said that question is out of right field and hasn’t thought about it because he’s busy coaching football. There are no issues keeping his players from thinking about the playoffs either.
+ Asked what he is most pleased with and what needs to improve most this weekend, Meyer said they can’t give up big plays this week. This is a big-play offense, so it will be tough. What he is most pleased with is that they have survived a couple of injuries and came back from Texas with a win.
+ Dwayne Haskins hasn’t necessarily exceeded expectations because they had high expectations. He has done a great job of managing the offense.
+ Tuf Borland is “playing good.” He is full go now and is no longer limited. “He’s tough as steel.”
+ Trace McSorley has always impressed Meyer with his competitive spirit. He’s a great player.
+ Meyer asked the defensive coaches if there have been any major changes with Penn State’s new offensive coordinators and he was told it’s very similar in terms of aggression and play calling.
Bucks need to get off to a hot start or it’s going to be the Miles Sanders show. Have you seen this kid? He’s the best player on the field Saturday after Haskins. Gotta score early and often and make McSorley beat you with the pop flies…
This must be the year to join the Admin folks in bashing and dismissing the head coach. Too many have that arm chair coaching thing firmly in their grasp. Maybe its time to see how Urban handles the changes needed after only his first on field game.
Buckeyzfan1- um, hello?…these forums are designed for “armchair quarterbacking” (some people call it watching the games carefully over a period years, then reacting to what people like the head coach say or do…) For your information, the most diehard fans are the ones digesting the information, and some don’t appreciate being lied to or fluffed.
PS- this is NOT Meyer’s “first on field game”, he’s been at it awhile. Some folks think it’s okay to expect better from a coach with his experience, is all.
…because if you run a dual threat offense as your bread and butter, and you’ve won over 80% of your games in that offense, then you want the best dual threat quarterback on your squad…and that’s not Dwayne Haskins. The loyalty to me is running the same offense and not expecting your peers to finally catch up to it. So, in some way, Haskins being as good as he’s displayed (given the sample size) has forced the hand of Meyer. However, if JTB was still on board for a 15th season (I was in my 50’s when he first started) Meyer would make sure he would be running the same offense. This is why I believe he was hesitant to give DH the keys coming out of the spring (I recall reading that Meyer said it was still not a lock) – he wants Tate to get better so that he can go back to his bread and butter. I wouldn’t call it blind loyalty but rather – this (offense) will get me 10 wins a season, a run at a conference championship, and a shot at a national championship.
Once he said Borland is playing well, I quit reading.
Henry- yup, yup. That comments is INSANE. Even more insane is the notion that Borland should even be playing when he is clearly hobbled.
“Dwayne Haskins hasn’t necessarily exceeded expectations, because they had high expectations.” Really??? That’s one of the most head-scratching comments I’ve ever read. For as great as Meyer is and for as lucky as we are to have him as a coach, I still can’t figure out how for the life of me he wasn’t a starter last year if his expectations are even higher than what he’s accomplished this year.
It’s simple. Loyalty is the reason he didn’t play last year. It’s what always gets Urban in a bind.
THIS ^
Edward and James- you guys are nicer than me. What you call “loyalty” I call “stubbornness” or, perhaps more accurately, “foolishness”. His thought process regarding Dwayne Haskins is nonsensical in this context.
All of those qualities also are what make him a HoF coach… Take the good with the bad…
And to be clear, I was in Ohio Stadium calling for D-Train to replace JT in the OU game early in the year… So I hear both of you.
But his belief in his players, his steadiness in the face of opposition, and his extreme (OCD) stubbornness also make him one of the greatest College Coaches of all time.
So I’ll just be appreciative. But you do you.