The Rose Bowl is more than just a chance for Ohio State players and coaches to enjoy a few days in the California sunshine.
It’s a game between a pair of top-10 teams, and a chance for Urban Meyer to wrap up his career with a win.
It’s also a chance for reporters to talk to guys who haven’t met with the media at all this season, and to learn more about young players who are starting to make their move to become starters in 2019.
The 2019 Rose Bowl Media Day was held in the media compound outside the west side of the stadium. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the things we learned.
Meyer’s final game as the Buckeyes’ head coach is also his first in the Rose Bowl stadium. For a guy who grew up in Ohio watching the game every New Year’s Day, it’s a Mecca of college football. So the trip has turned one of the most established coaches in the nation back into a kid again. And he was deeply disappointed to be sitting in a big tent outside the gates.
“I was hoping today we’d get to see the field,” Meyer said.
“I have been here one time. I pulled up when I was recruiting for Colorado State University, and I was told to leave. They said, ‘Hey, bud, you’ve got to get out of here.’I said okay. I’ve never seen the field. And really anxious to see the atmosphere, because I’ve heard so much about it for all these years.”
He apparently did eventually get to go out on the field later. OSU’s official hype trailer for the Rose Bowl has a shot of him looking around the stadium from field level.
Meyer bristled when a reporter suggested that he was “coming to the end of the road.” He definitely doesn’t feel like he’s ready to be put out to pasture.
“I’m 54 years old. I’m going to teach a class. I’m going to be around Ohio State. I’m going to do others things. My passion is the student-athlete. And other than hoisting trophies, the next best thing is watching a young person come up to me and say that Goldman Sachs just hired me or that I got a job opportunity at — Brady Taylor, who was never a starter, told me that he’s got three job offers waiting for him because of the internship program we put together. So that’s only going to be enhanced.”
Defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones said there was no shortage of motivation for the game, including wanting to send Meyer out with a win. That’s something the players have been talking about for the last month.
“Almost every day a little bit because we realize this is his last game. We can’t really just take that lightly. We understand what’s on our shoulders as a team. I mean, this is Urban Meyer’s last game, and he’s a man with a great legacy.”
Jones was asked if the Buckeyes had a plan for Meyer’s last game in charge.
“Probably get some Gatorade dumped on him, but don’t tell him yet.”
Quarterback Dwayne Haskins said he only watched half of the Clemson-Notre Dame playoff semifinal game, and didn’t watch the Alabama-Oklahoma game at all. He was asked for his thoughts on the results.
“I thought we should have been in it, but take it out on Washington.”
Asked to clarify what ‘take it out on Washington’ meant, he backpedaled a little: “I couldn’t tell you, just want to win the game, sir.”
He said it was a dream to play in the Rose Bowl, but he didn’t think he’d be nervous when he stepped on the field.
“I don’t really get too hyped up. I don’t get too nervous. I just want to go out there and give a sense of confidence for my teammates. It’s a great atmosphere here and best Bowl game of all time and just looking forward to playing in this stadium. I came to a couple camps here when I was younger, so this will be a dream come true for me to be a college football player in this stadium.”
Safety Jordan Fuller was asked what the highlight of this season had been for him. His answer probably won’t shock you.
“I would say my interception against The Team Up North. That was fun. Just that whole win in general, it was just really amazing.”
