COLUMBUS — Following Ohio State’s 36-31 win over Nebraska on Saturday, Buckeye head coach Urban Meyer and several players spoke with reporters about the game. Meyer talked about the good and the bad for the Buckeyes, while the players mentioned some of the changes that went into a better running game. Here are the highlights.
Urban Meyer
+ Meyer began by thanking the military and the Ohio State fans. He said the fans really helped with the noise.
+ The red zone offense was improved, as was the running game. They worked hard over the last two weeks to get it done.
+ He got the effort he wanted from his team.
+ Safety Brendon White did a hell of a job in place of Jordan Fuller.
+ The defense has improved, but it’s not where they need to be. Due to injuries, it feels like all they keep doing is “stop-gapping.”
+ Asked if the defense is close to where they need to be, Meyer said no, then said yes.
+ Brendon White earned the trust through special teams play. He proved that trust was correct today.
+ Jeff Okudah had a freak injury and tweaked his groin on Tuesday. Isaiah Pryor had a shoulder impingement. Both should play next week.
+ Both running backs ran hard this week.
+ They made schematic changes on defense, playing more zone and off coverage than normal.
+ Meyer was happy with the win but upset with the turnovers.
+ They did several different things schematically to get the running game going. (They went without the RPO this week.)
+ “Get rid of the three turnovers and that’s a pretty good game.”
+ They are still trying to put the puzzle together in the secondary.
+ Nebraska is a two-win team that nobody wants to play right now.
J.K. Dobbins
+ “It was great to get back to our old ways.”
+ Today showed that they can still run the ball well enough to win.
+ They will need to take this momentum into next week against Michigan State.
+ “We’re back on track I do believe.”
Thayer Munford
+ They knew they struggled running the ball in the past, but they weren’t going to allow it this week.
+ No RPOs today made the offensive line happy.
+ The offensive line was tired of hearing about how they couldn’t run the ball.
+ This is the offense they expect to be moving forward. More balanced. “Yeah, for sure. It ain’t gonna change.”
Isaiah Prince
+ The running game was good, but they need to enhance it. There were still yards left out there.
+ There was a big chip on the OL’s shoulder. They all took that very personally.
+ This was a confidence builder.
+ Not having RPOs allow the offensive linemen to know what the defense is going to do as well.
+ There are still times when RPOs are great, like against TCU.
Brendon White
+ “Young guys have to step up and I knew I had to step up.”
+ Getting some tackles early allowed him to get more confident as the game went on.
+ Every game, you never know what’s going to happen, so you always have to be prepared.
+ He always knew if he stayed patient his time would come.
+ “My dad’s one of my idols. Hopefully today I made him proud.
Dwayne Haskins
+ It means everything for the offense to be dynamic both running and passing.
+ Every week is not expected to be easy. They got a win, so that’s all that matters. There were things he could have done better.
+ There were some miscommunications today that led to some incompletions.
+ There are still some things they need to work on to beat Michigan State. “We’re focused, motivated, angry.”
+ Everybody comes into games against Ohio State and gives their best shot. The Buckeyes made some mistakes and unforced errors that helped that out.
Being a die hard Buckeye fir many years this D isn’t that far off. NE scored on a bomb and a late game scrap time drive. If you watched Urbans teams there is usually a stretch where OSU traditionally have buried teams. While for essentially 6 drives our D for one reason or another forced NE th punt and we were only able to scrap for 14 pts. Our O game plan seemed scattered. Haskins pic didn’t help either. Take away this 1st ha TOs and give what OSU has traditionally done in those stretches like score 28 to 28 or whatever this game is very different. I can also debate this on some way verses Purdemue. Dont get me wrong it needs to improve.
Man, what a terrible bunch of fans and whinny babies you all are. You all suck
Are you related to one of the coaches, Joe? Tell us what is on your mind.
I think we found the O-zone dummy account for the coaching staff, folks!
This is an overrated team.
And still not impressed with Haskins
First things first….those uniforms made all the difference in the world. You could tell Nebraska was intimidated by them and couldn’t find the Ohio State players especially when we were on defense….it was like no one was there…..maybe that is why they scored early and often. Let’s be honest….Haskins runs like a scared little girl who is afraid to be hit. He also needs improvement when there is a little bit of pressure placed upon him. I agree with my friend James Mills,( as well as others on here) who realize that little progress was made on the defensive side of the football during the week off. Adjustments were few….the Linebackers are still slow to react…tackling is weak and penalties and turnovers are killers. This is a horrible 8 – 1 team!
Meyer is a fascinating study in how someone’s own hubris can wreck his image without his own knowledge. He has spewed so much crap that people who truly WANT to believe him, don’t. He has lost credibility, and the changes he MUST make are outside his own capacity to make. You can’t convince him he’s wrong, you pay dearly if you cross him- unless you are a buddy he hired, of course. Sounds like those grapes from Florida fans, are not as sour as we thought. What’s that light at the end of the tunnel? (hint- it’s a train, Urban).
Urban said “Nebraska is a 2-win team that no one wants to play right now.” How about Ohio State is an 8-1 #10 team that a lot of teams would love to play right now? We don’t scare anyone. This team will lose to MSU next week and TSUN after Thanksgiving. Heck I wouldn’t be surprised if Maryland beats us too. I don’t even want to think about whatever bowl game we go to.
Let’s face it, this is the worst 8-1 team in the nation. MSU will beat them and Michigan will kill them. Meyer needs to get a new coaching staff in place for next season, and Schiano should be the first to go!
I agree with your whole post.
1960’s ^
The team struggled and was taken to the wire by a god awful 2-5 Nebraska team! What the hell game was he watching? Defensive improvements? Really? Yea they made a few defensive plays but they gave up 31 points to a garbage team. I like to look at the whole performance and not a few plays! Urban has lost control of this team. It is literally broken.
If Meyer thinks that pathetic sorry ass excuse of a defense is anywhere near improved he should simply walk away from coaching FOREVER, and do it today. Pete Werner, Tuf Borland and Malik Harrison are simply the worst 3 linebackers in the history of the Ohio State Football program since linebackers became a thing in the early 1969’s in college football. There’s just no amount of lipstick that can make that pig look even presentable for a blind man to look at. WHY in the hell are any of those 3 seeing the football field? Oh, I know. That aggravated MORON Bill Davis tells Schiano who swears under oath that Davis is right, to Meyer, and Meyer officially swallows it.
Urban Meyer has turned into a PC…….C O W A R D. Go back to freaking Ashtabula and stay there.
I don’t think a blind man would care how made up a pig is….HE CAN’T SEE! Which means he can’t read your comments. I think I’m jealous.
You really are rather “dim” aren’t you? That’s a rhetorical question.
A blind man would not only care, he would be so embarrassed by the pig known as Bill Davis and the Ohio State Buckeye linebackers that he’d be ashamed to be seen with it in public.