Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer will take part in his weekly radio show on the Ohio State IMG Radio Network beginning around 12:00 pm today. He will provide updates on his football team and answer questions through his 40 minutes. An assistant coach will then likely join the show towards the end of the hour and also answer questions about the Buckeyes. We will provide live updates throughout the hour. Refresh for new updates.
Greg Schiano
+ It is difficult to prepare for Maryland’s amount of shifts and motions. Schiano hasn’t gone against Matt Canada before. It is going to be a test for sure.
+ Maryland’s offense is really talented at the skill positions. They have had some injuries, but they are still talented. The backup quarterback used to be the starter so he is good. He is mobile and can throw it. He’s short, so they will try to cloud his vision.
+ When you have depth, it allows you to play guys that are fresh. It is so much harder to rush the passer than it is to protect the passer. It takes it out of guys, so the rotation keeps them fresh.
+ “I really think Nick Bosa was the best football player in the country this year.” He was off to a great start. He makes everybody better around him. There was an adjustment period when he went down.
+ Robert Landers and Davon Hamilton have done a good job at nose tackle in taking up double teams.
+ Shaun Wade has really progressed. He has tremendous athletic ability. He played well on special teams, which elevated him to the defense. He plays safety and nickel, which is essentially a corner position. He and Brendon White have given the secondary versatility and stability.
+ Strategically, Schiano thought MSU’s snap out of the end zone was a good move, but the kickoff after negated it a bit. Michigan State was on their fourth punter at the time.
+ Getting turnovers always gives a spark and non-offensive scores will change the complexion of the game. You should never be satisfied with just getting a takeaway. Try to score with it.
Ryan Day
+ It will be good for Dwayne Haskins to go home, but every game at Ohio State is big for the players, so Haskins should be able to handle it.
+ Master Teague and Brian Snead are talented guys who work hard in practice. Demario McCall also splits time between running back and receiver.
+ The two tight end sets allow them to run the ball and protect the back-side from crashing down. The running backs have also lowered their pad level. All of this makes four yard runs become six yards in the fourth quarter.
+ The offensive line has played well the last couple of weeks and they have been able to control the game. They have adjusted well.
+ Parris Campbell and K.J. Hill deserve everything they’re getting. They are reliable. There are different ways to get them the ball out in space. It’s a challenge, but they are versatile enough to get it in different ways.
+ When preparing for an opponent, you look at everything. Last year, this year, the last 4-6 games, but then you also look for what they could do differently to attack you. Then once you see them in the first half, you have to figure out how to adjust at halftime.
+ Matthew Baldwin hasn’t been with the scout team to protect his knee and keep him away from Dre’Mont and Chase Young. It’s hard to get reps for the No. 3 quarterback.
+ Tate Martell has been practicing “really, really well the last few weeks.” They have worked on what he excels at with his legs, but he can definitely throw. Because he has been practicing so well he deserves to play.
+ Maryland goes from a 3-down front to a 4-down front by adding a big linebacker. They mix it up on the back end as well. It makes things difficult to identify for the offense, but not impossible. When the defense can change things up on the quarterback, you have to prepare that quarterback for what they are going to see.
+ On third downs or red zone situations, you look for favorable matchups, but you don’t always get that. College is different than the NFL because there are so many more hybrid coverages or defensive packages.
+ One of the goals of an offense is to create confusion, which you can try to do with motion.
Urban Meyer
+ The Best Fridays in Football is a tradition that Meyer learned from Sonny Lubick. Fridays used to be awful in college football, but Lubick at Colorado State let his team have fun on Fridays. The most important thing on a Friday is to make sure your team gets some rest. So Fridays is about having fun and having fellowship.
+ Austin Mack “is the next president.” He’s an action guy. A tremendous human being. “He’s a doer.” Very rarely do you come across a guy who has it all together like that. By the way, they also miss him on the field because he’s a heck of a player.
+ Dwayne Haskins is set to break school records in his home state of Maryland. There is still room for improvement. What Meyer is most impressed with is Haskins’ ability to understand the protections and everyone else’s responsibilities and reading the defense. Has a quick release and is accurate, “we’ve just got to keep going.”
+ Isaiah Pryor is back healthy now. Baron Browning is out but should be ready for Michigan. Sean Nuernberger is on call and ready to go. Blake Haubeil has been outstanding on his kick and placements.
+ Meyer’s history with William White goes back to 1986. He was a great leader at OSU and a great student (engineering). They have been involved with his family for years. White spoke to the team before the Buckeyes left for the Michigan State game and Meyer told himself that if the Buckeyes win the game, he wants to give the game ball to William, which they did.
+ Chris Olave is involved in kickoff coverage and punt block coverage as well. “The fans are going to love him around here.”
+ Brendon White has done a great job tackling. This week will be a great challenge for him and everyone else on defense.
+ The key defensively is to get lined up and read your keys. Maryland’s offense is based on getting the defense to screw up.
+ There is a plan for the kicking game against Maryland’s dynamic returners. Part of the plan is to get down the field and tackle.
+ Defensively, Maryland finds the football and they make plays. Athletically and in terms of talent, this is as good a defense as the Buckeyes have played this year.
+ Maryland’s offense is loaded with shifting and spread principles. They try to eliminate numbers defensively and stress the defense with motion and spreading them out. Defensively, they play a front that is similar to a Bear defense.
+ Branden Bowen is game ready and Brady Taylor is close. They are getting healthier up front by the day.
+ They have been working hard in the red zone for weeks in practice. You have to equate numbers, and Tate Martell gives them an answer down there. They will do it more in the future. Putting Dwayne Haskins and Martell together doesn’t do anything for you numbers-wise, so don’t expect that.
+ The way Dobbins and Weber have been utilized this season is starting to pay off now later in the season. You have to be unselfish as a back to make that work.
+ Asked about receivers running routes two yards short of a third-and-whatever, Meyer said it’s a misnomer to have players run routes past the first-down marker. Patterns are patterns and routes are routes. You don’t tell receivers to run what is normally a 7-yard route to now run nine yards. That’s not how football works. Meyer’s answer to his coaches is to not get into third-and-long situations.
+ Meyer thinks Drue Chrisman picked up some of his punting techniques from Cameron Johnston. As good as Chrisman was, Terry McLaurin and Johnnie Dixon were even better. Regarding the punt unit, “That’s my baby.” Don’t talk bad about OSU’s gunners. Chris Olave is going to be the next guy that is hopefully going to take the baton and be the next great gunner.
+ Meyer didn’t realize MSU’s safety was on purpose until after the game. He just thought it was a bad snap.
+ He knew last week’s game would be rugged and they prepared for it, and got healthy at the right time.
+ Defensively, they have started to no longer give up big plays, but Maryland’s offense will be a big test because they are fest or famine with big plays.