In case there was ever any doubt, Urban Meyer is sick and tired of talking about an exposing and crushing as a 35-21 loss to Virginia Tech.
Last weekend is already in the Ohio State head coach's rearview mirror.
He's imploring you to join him.
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KENT STATE GOLDEN FLASHES |
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0–2, 0–1 MAC ROSTER | SCHEDULE |
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NOON – SATURDAY, SEP. 13 OHIO STADIUM COLUMBUS, OHIO |
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ABC/ESPN2 WATCHESPN |
"The worst thing," a playfully agitated Meyer said during his weekly call-in radio show Thursday "is to keep to talking about that damn thing. This is my show: let's talk about our future and move forward."
For the No. 22 Buckeyes, moving forward starts against Kent State Saturday. And since the Golden Flashes should be decidedly overmatched against Meyer and Co. when they come to Columbus, this game seems to be more about Ohio State than the opponent at hand.
Still, after losing three of their last four games, the contest is a chance for the Buckeyes to bounce back after an anticlimatic loss under the lights at Ohio Stadium. It was the first home loss under Meyer.
"We got exposed a little bit … we're going to coach them as hard as we have and they have to rebound,” Meyer said Monday. It shouldn't be too hard.
It's also a gift-wrapped opportunity for the Buckeyes to regain confidence that might’ve been lost against the Hokies last weekend.
“We don't blame people,” Meyer said in his press conference following the game. “We just gotta get a lot better ... You really find out about people. And I have a lot of confidence that some of these young people, now they're veteran guys, that are going to get better and better each week.
“We just have to do a better job. I know that sounds redundant or coach speak, but I'm not sure what else you say.”
Kent State offers Ohio State a chance to take the first step toward that goal.
"Those kids, they got to be a hungry group coming in here because this is their chance to play in front of 110,000 people … I think you’re going to see a hungry group trying to get a win," Meyer said.
Of course, it'll take something special for Golden Flashes to exit the Horseshoe with a win.
OPPONENT BREAKDOWN
The Golden Flashes are led by former Ohio State assistant Paul Haynes, who coached defensive backs under ex-head coach Jim Tressel from 2005-2010. Haynes was the team’s co-defensive coordinator in 2011.
Under his direction, Kent State went 4-8 last season and is currently 0-2 on the year after losses to Ohio and South Alabama.
On offense, the Golden Flashes are led by sophomore quarterback Colin Reardon, who’s completed 58 percent of his passes for 477 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. Kent State’s offense seems to start and end with him, so it’s no wonder why he’s caught the attention of the Ohio State coaching staff.
“I see a quarterback that can make plays,” Meyer said Wednesday. “That’s our biggest concern on defense that I see.”
Added co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Chris Ash: “I think he’s a really good player to be honest with you. I mean, he fits well with what they’re trying to do … the first thing when you look at him, you don’t know how athletic he is, but the more you watch him, he’s a pretty athletic quarterback that can do some things in the run game. He can keep plays alive with his feet, he throws the ball well. I like what they do schematically with him so he’s gonna be a challenge for us Saturday.”
Reardon’s favorite target is redshirt sophomore wide receiver Ernest Calhoun, who stands at just 5-foot-6, 150 pounds. The Buckeyes, though, said they won’t conflate his size for lack of ability.
“When he can run and change direction and catch the ball out in space, there’s always a challenge. It doesn’t matter whether a guy’s 6-foot-4 or 5-foot-6, it’s his skill set and what he does after the ball,” Ash said. “A lot of it is what they do schematically to get him the ball versus what we do. So yeah, there’s never an easy game, there’s never an easy receiver where you can say ‘Yeah, we don’t have to worry about this guy.’ Every game, there’s something new that we have to defend and there’s always a challenge.”
On defense, Kent State is allowing 20 points (51st nationally) and 392 total yards (75th nationally) a game.
BUCKEYE BREAKDOWN
Without star quarterback Braxton Miller, Virginia Tech was able to exploit a slew of weaknesses buried beneath the surface on Ohio State's offense last weekend.
Against a barrage of blitzes, the offensive line was simply porous. The unit surrendered seven sacks and couldn't stop the Hokies from badgering redshirt freshman J.T. Barrett get hassled all night long. Also, note how six of those sacks came in the fourth quarter and how the Buckeyes crumbled on offense when it mattered most.
Along with the offensive line, there's a few reasons for the collapse. The wide receivers, which were supposedly supposed to be a much-improved unit this season, struggled to make consistently make plays and dropped passes when thrown their way (re: Corey Smith). The running backs, whether it was Ezekiel Elliott, Curtis Samuel or Rod Smith, were stifled by Virginia Tech's Bear-Cover Zero defensive scheme. And finally, Barrett, who was intercepted three times after only completing 9-of-29 attempts, was ineffective without the help of a competent supporting cast around him.
Fortunately for the Buckeyes, they should be able to overwhelm Kent State thanks to a gaping mismatch in overall talent. As such, Meyer wants to see the team get off to a fast start.
“We haven’t started particularly fast and we had a pretty good reputation for a while there of coming out of the gates real fast, real hard," he said Wednesday. "We haven’t done that yet, it was brought to my attention: I went back and did a little research on it, we haven’t. We gotta go take the lead and play Ohio State style football."
On defense, Meyer said the defense played well in the second half against the Hokies, but it wasn't good enough. The Buckeyes surrendered 9-of-17 third down conversions and struggled to slow down quarterback Michael Brewer, who threw for 199 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions on 23-of-36 throws.
"We all want more. We want more. I felt for almost three quarters we played very good defense and we didn’t close the deal," he said. "But I’m seeing improvement and I’m seeing a young secondary getting better.”
In the end, Saturday won't be much of a gauge for whether Ohio State made any significant improvements this week in practice. But the Buckeyes can hone in on defects and build upon strengths in a game that'll most likely be out of hand by the end of the first half.
HOW IT’LL PLAY OUT
Kent State will come out of the gates and have a few series that’ll get the best of the Buckeyes.
With feeling like it's got something to prove after last weekend, Ohio State might press early before settling down. The game, for all intents and purposes, is over once that happens.
With all due respect to the Golden Flashes, the Buckeyes are composed of a different type of athlete. They’re superior in just about every facet of the game, and it’ll show Saturday.
It’s conceivable Kent State will get a score here or there — those kinds of things happen.
But this game is more about Meyer and Co. than it is about the Golden Flashes. This is a chance for the Buckeyes to evaluate themselves and see what works and what needs fixed.
If Ohio State executes, it’ll win big. Even if it doesn't, it'll win by a couple of touchdowns.
It would literally take a near-perfect game for Haynes’ crew to come into Ohio Stadium and pull off the upset. Don't bet on it.
ELEVEN WARRIORS STAFF PREDICTION: Ohio State 41, Kent State 7
