Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer took part in Tuesday’s weekly Big Ten coaches teleconference. Meyer provided some updates on the Buckeyes’ health, and also talked about the position battle at safety. Ohio State has Michigan State this week, which will provide a stiff test for the OSU running game. Does Meyer think his offense is ready? Here are the highlights.
+ The battle for the safety spot opposite Jordan Fuller has seen reps being split during practice. How practice goes this week will determine who starts.
+ Michigan State’s defensive front penetrates well. They are big and strong. The linebackers sit back and when the run surfaces, they hit it hard.
+ Tuesday and Wednesday practices are to get things fixed from the last week. They are healthy on defense finally, so that will help. MSU has good offensive talent and a good offensive line, so they can do multiple things. Asked if he was confident in his defense, Meyer said he’d know more next week.
+ The improvement in the running game was due to the offensive linemen playing better and the running backs running harder. “This will be a much more stiff challenge this week.”
+ The staff is hoping for more from the 2017 and 2018 classes this season. Those are two highly-rated classes, so they need more players to come through. Pete Werner, Baron Browning, and Jeff Okudah have done that. Chris Olave has stepped up as well. Josh Proctor is helping on special teams. Hoping for more active involvement out of the 2018 class.
+ Wyatt Davis has been mentioned quite often by Meyer. “He’s going to have a fine career here.” He has improved the way he finishes plays. They want to get him more involved, but it’s hard to break up the offensive line when you’ve got five guys playing together. He deserves more time.
+ Tate Martell is frustrated with playing time, but that’s a positive. He wants to play and he’s an elite competitor. They talk about how to get him involved every week.
+ Shaun Wade and Brendon White are competing for the starting spot, and Isaiah Pryor is also back and working. Right now, it’s between Wade and White, but Pryor can get in there with a good week of practice.
+ Jeremy Ruckert has improved as a blocker. He’s a very good pass catcher and they want to get him more involved in the passing game as well.
+ Asked why it’s difficult to win on the road in the Big Ten, Meyer said he thinks the Big Ten finally decided to be the best conference in America five or six years ago, and the result is difficult games every week.
How you practice determines if you start or not. NOT how you play in a game, NOT if you dominate in a game. How you practice. I played enough to know there are guys that look great in practice and then puke it up in a game. They can do all the drills, they can run the plays correctly but they are all show and no go. They get in the game and the chaos overwhelms them. I guess Meyer and company would keep Allen Iverson on the bench too because they talkin’ ’bout practice.
Who are the potential replacements for Schiano, Davis, and the DB coach?
DC right now is a difficult because of where we are in the season. Personally I think Meyer should go full court press trying to lure Dave Aranda away from LSU. Ohio State would have to open the pocketbook. For linebacker coach I would go hard after Marcus Freeman. He might not have the over-all experience of some top names, but he’s a Buckeye through and through and he could use his playing experience and common sense approach to getting the best out of the talent on the roster. Plus he’s young enough, smart enough, and talented enough to be with Ohio State for many years. The style of Marcus Freeman’s game as a player (linebacker for newbies) fits PERFECTLY with Commander Johnsons defensive line philosophy.
I’m personally not ready to toss Alex or Taver to the wolves just yet. They need another year and a REAL DC coordinating them to find out for sure what they’re all about. Alex IMHO has been adled by the input of Schiano and his incessant tinkering with the back end. Get Schiano and Urbans best man out the door is already an upgrade if Urban hires ANY reasonably “qualified” position coach. Urban could hire Shelley and get better results. Hell, if Urban couldn’t land Aranda, I personally wouldn’t be adverse to seeing Marcus hired in as Co-DC with Alex Grinch while he still had responsibility of over-seeing the linebackers.
Slide Jordan Fuller, who has a solid year of very good play under his belt back over to the field side and start Brendon on the boundary side where he looked like the heart of the mountain jewel of the defense. Just freaking try it for a couple quarters and see how things go. As I said earlier……….at this point what difference does it make? If it doesn’t work, simply move Jordan back and bring in one of the other guys back into the field side.
Brendon has been an extremely bright spot on special teams, and he was the only defender REGARDLESS of position lighting up anyone with the ball in his hand for Nebraska.
Experimentation is OVER………I mean, we ARE entering the 11th game of the season and these well paid super coaches aren’t past the trial and error stage? Stop the damned splitting reps because it’s nothing more than a lesson in utter futility. Jordan Fuller and now, Brendon White have shown they are legitimate players who WILL make plays. Brendons 2 tackles for loss were fun to watch, but the boom he registered on the Cornshucker inside the 10 yard line was picture perfect. The guy played like he was having fun……..just playing see ball get ball. Go back and watch the ground he covered on just about every play he was in. If the play was away from him…….so what he was actually 1 of 2 players in the entire secondary who was applying 4-6, a-b making tracks to where the play was………..and when he arrived…..well, the evidence speaks for itself.
We’ve seen the results of the other 2 “at this point” THEY aren’t ready to be on the field. Start Shaul Wade at nickel, Brendon at Boundary, Jordan at Field, and you can still flop Kendall and Damon back at forth at corner…………..CALL IT A DAY AND QUIT TINKERING………..because this season is all but over.
Wade she play the nickel until he moves to start at CB next year.
White has had the best game for a safety this year, not Fuller… so why is he competing with Wade for a spot? And Pryor has done little to nothing with his opportunities.
They talk about how to get Tate Martell involved EVERY WEEK. So, just do it.