COLUMBUS — Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer met with reporters on Sunday to talk about the Buckeyes’ Rose Bowl berth as well as answer questions about not making the playoffs. He also spoke a bit about winning back-to-back Big Ten Championships. Dre’Mont Jones and Dwayne Haskins also spoke with the media. Here are the highlights of everything said.
+ Great news they just received about the Rose Bowl. Can’t say he’s even been more proud of a group of guys than he is of this team this season.
+ It’s hard to get space against Northwestern’s defense, but Ryan Day and Kevin Wilson made it happen.
+ “Very proud of these guys. Back-to-back Big Ten Champs.
+ The team was happy after the game and they seem happy now. He will monitor how the team reacts to being left out of the playoffs. “That was a tough job, now” determining who should be fourth.
+ Terry McLaurin is the ring chairman and he has said he’s going to make the ring as big as he possibly can.
+ Asked if this season could be seen as a disappointment, he said he didn’t want to devalue what this team has accomplished winning a Big Ten Championship.
+ There will be transition in personnel after this year like always. “And there’s always that NFL stuff that happens.”
+ The Rose Bowl still matters to the players on this team like Parris Campbell and Terry McLaurin. He’s not sure if it does to everyone on the team, such as the guys who are from Texas.
+ Meyer expects Gene Smith to share with him some of what went down with the committee.
+ Asked to weigh a great win against a bad loss, Meyer said he was taught by his father to never put your fate in somebody else’s hands. The thing you can’t do is stand up there in front of a microphone and criticize the committee. That devalues what this team has accomplished.
+ Meyer isn’t sure if something needs to change with the playoff selection process, but he has seen that some of the criteria that is listed is not what is being utilized in making decisions.
+ The postgame locker room was fantastic. They love going to Indy and they love getting rings.
+ Meyer was worried when he saw the Oklahoma score. “They beat a pretty good Texas team.”
+ Meyer has always dreamed of coaching in the Rose Bowl.
+ Dwayne Haskins should be in New York for the Heisman ceremony. “I’ll fly him in myself.”
+ Should the playoffs expand? Maybe the best of all of Meyer’s teams at OSU was the 2015 team. But you have to look at the model and how do you add games. Meyer has been against it in the past, but you have to look at it. There should be a more systematic way of schools setting their schedules and who they play.
+ Give Ryan Day his due, along with Kevin Wilson and the offensive staff. When you can’t run the ball, you are going to lose. “That will never change.” OSU reached a point where they could not run. When you don’t run with the quarterback, it is harder to keep defenses out of the box. Day has changed his viewpoint a bit on throwing the ball, but you still need balance and a quarterback who is wiling to take off for the first down.
+ Meyer doesn’t know enough about Georgia, but he was a little surprised to see them ranked ahead of Ohio State.
+ Meyer thought they were in last year but didn’t really think so this year. Once he saw Oklahoma win he thought it would be hard to jump them.
+ Needing a blowout crosses your mind, but Northwestern doesn’t really let you do that. Meyer was surprised to see they had thrown for 499 yards.
+ Asked how he views this season, he talked about a board on the wall by his office will the great OSU teams listed on it. Jim Tressel started it. Meyer added the 2012, 2014, and 2017 teams, and if they win the Rose Bowl he’ll add this team. They have overcome some major injuries.
+ Meyer has thoughts on Dwayne Haskins future but didn’t want to share them with the media before he shares them with Haskins.
+ Meyer has known Washington coach Chris Petersen forever. Back when he was an assistant at Boise State.
Dwayne Haskins
+ Asked about the support from OSU and Meyer about the Heisman, Haskins said “it means everything … for him to vouch for me the way he did.”
+ The expectations for the Rose Bowl is to go and win. It’s a rich tradition game and a lot of great quarterbacks have played in it.
+ Haskins didn’t surprise himself with his play this season.
+ He always felt like running to get guys open has been part of his game, he just hasn’t had to do it much.
+ “It would mean with the world” to be in New York with Tua Taigovailoa and Kyler Murray. To be in the same conversation with them would be some sort of proof that the work has been productive.
+ Haskins used to play the NCAA Football video game and would be No. 7 for Ohio State, 6-4 220, and win the Heisman every year. It would be a dream to win it and to be mentioned with the award and to one day be able to tell his kids about it is great.
+ Haskins is playing in the Rose Bowl and isn’t thinking about skipping it.
+ Meyer was slow with praise with Haskins this season because he didn’t want him to “get big headed.”
Dre’Mont Jones
+ The defense has had moments this season where they have played up or down to the level of their competition.
+ Chase Young’s ceiling is super, super high. He’s going to continue to grow and he has the right mindset.
+ Jones was surprised and disappointed to be sixth in the rankings. He’s never been to California before though so he’s excited about the Rose Bowl.
+ There was a little bit of a deja vu moment by missing the playoffs again this year, but last was with two losses. This one was more of a surprise.
+ Missing out on the playoffs does not take away any joy from winning a conference title because the Big Ten is very hard.
+ It would be nice to have better results this season, but they did lose against Purdue, so they put their fate in other people’s hands.
+ Losing Nick Bosa affected them on the field in terms of production as well as leadership
+ Without Bosa, they needed to enhance their games individually.
+ When he thinks about the Rose Bowl, he thinks about being a little kid watching Reggie Bush back in 2005.
+ The lesson of missing the playoffs the last two years is to stay humble or else you will get humbled. “If we’re going to lose, I don’t want to lose by 29 or 30.”
+ Asked if he plans to play in the Rose Bowl, Jones responded, “We’ll see.”
I couldn’t be happier winning another Big Ten championship and going to the Rose Bowl. The Buckeyes waited until too late in the season to make an argument for the playoff so that’s irrelevant. The Rose Bowl is relevant so time to focus on Washington.
Another consideration Dremond needs to mull in his mind is the exposure the bowl game will provide him and anyone else who aspires to play professionally. There are always scouts that with a busy schedule haven’t seen everyone on the list play in a live game situation that will be zoomed in on every meaningful bowl game, His play in the big game against Washington may change very positively for him which might get him drafted by an otherwise pro team that hasn’t seen him. Play for the university that has enabled you to have this chance.
It has nothing to do with loyalty. Their body is their business, or the business they hope to take it to. Face facts, if they have a shot to get paid very well for a few years at most for all the years of hard work and sacrifice, you can not blame them.
If a chemistry major on scholarship got offered big money to leave school early would they be chastised in the same manner? The main purpose to go to school is to grow up and create a path to take care of your family.
The reality is will the game increase draft stock or not. Probably not, so why risk a draft killing injury.
I dont expect haskins to be here next year as well. Hes a first rounder.
I understand the concept of it being a business and taking care of your family…I just think the COMMITMENT to TEAM/FAMILY is an important characteristic that is quickly diminishing. I believe seeing a commitment through the whole journey is more admirable, and builds character. I would be leery of someone that cares more for himself than the team. I realize that every situation is different…that a sure- fire, can’t miss, 1st rounder with guaranteed money is a different situation than someone that is gonna be a mid-round pick at best. But still, letting this happen will ruin the moral fiber of team commitment..what about letting teammates down that depended on you to battle beside them. The whole TEAM and TEAM accomplishments are affected by individual selfishness. Their payday will come, how about just doing the right thing by everyone that helped you get there……
“We’ll see”? Jones said after asked if he will play in Rose Bowl…come on guys, really? I understood N Bosa decision based on his injury and recovery, but a healthy player skipping is selfish and disrespectful to your team,al la Denzel”the quitter, abandon your team mates” Ward…If any Buckeye player decides to not play in Bowl game they should say now, as not to take away valuable reps for younger player development…just F—-g quit on your team now and be GONE..you don’t deserve to be at the practice facility to better yourself among the LOYAL BUCKEYES….No better way to alienate yourself from Buckeye Nation than quitting on your team!!!!!!