A looming bout with Michigan State will likely determine the fate of Ohio State’s season, and that’s just the way head coach Urban Meyer seems to like it.
“This is why they’re trained, every second of everything we do in the program from offseason to summer conditioning to training camp, we’re training you for moments like this,” Meyer said Wednesday after practice.
“It’s a two-way street now, the players gotta take care of themselves off the field in hydration and nutrition and the unit leaders, the position coaches have to have their units ready.
“This is why we train for moments like this — compete for championships in November.”
Notes:
- Meyer said this year’s Michigan State team is better than the one that toppled the Buckeyes and won the Rose Bowl last season: “This team’s a better team, they’re more balanced. Offensively, I think they’re dynamic and they’ve developed their players. I think they had a bunch of seniors leave, but they’ve filled in nicely. I think this year’s team is a little better.”
- Meyer said starting nickel Armani Reeves likely won’t play against Michigan State Saturday. “He was out here today, but he didn’t practice.” Meyer said said expect to see Cam Burrows and possibly Damon Webb in his place.
- Meyer on battle in the trenches between Ohio State and Michigan State: “I think the programs are somewhat similar, that they’re both — and not just our team programs but any good teams — if you watch them play, they’re driven by very good line of scrimmage players. Offensive, defensive lines … it’s rugged. They’re very good on defense … and I’d like to think our defensive front is very good against their offensive line. These kind of games, it’s a line of scrimmage game.”
- Meyer on starting safety Tyvis Powell: “Safety play was not a strength of ours. I still see a lot of room for growth for him, too. He’s got all you want: He’s a great person, good student, he’s got the range, he’s got the speed. We’re looking for tall corners like that eventually moving to safety. He’s the perfect fit. There’s still a lot more left in that tank for him.”
- Meyer on practice this week: “I feel that they’re attacking it, (but) I’m glad we have Thursday, we’ve got a lot of work to do still. You can’t ask for anymore as far as attention to detail, but you’ve just gotta be ready to go. It’s Wednesday.
- Meyer said redshirt freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett’s knee has fully healed since suffering an MCL sprain against Penn State: “I haven’t asked him, he looks great.”
- Meyer on tempering the hype surrounding Saturday’s contest: “We don’t want to apologize for all the wins we’ve had, but this is a big game against a great team. It is what it is. We’ve won a lot of games and this is just another challenge against a very good team. I think a lot of people — I don’t want to make it more than what it is, but it’s an opportunity to compete for the Big Ten conference is what it is.”
