Urban Meyer usually makes it pretty well-known if he isn't a fan of something that is out of his control, whether it be conference or NCAA related.
Last season, Meyer used his public voice and exposure to pry the pockets of the NCAA and College Football Playoff open to provide financial support for families traveling to the postseason affairs. He also spoke about J.T. Barrett's Heisman Trophy candidacy, saying he was well-deserving of an invite to New York City and the award ceremony.
Meyer was 1-for-2 with regards to those topics, but shared his feelings again Wednesday evening after he and his No. 1 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes put their first practice of the week in preparations for the Hawai'i to bed. It's a short week for the nation's top-ranked team, a result of a season opener in the form of a Monday night affair at Virginia Tech, a game the Buckeyes won 42-24.
"We appealed to the NCAA to let us meet with (the team Tuesday) and all that, and they said no," Meyer said Wednesday, noting a quick turnaround which could be rough on any student-athlete. "So those are all things probably before you schedule a Monday night game we should ask those questions because we're way behind."
Meyer said he and the Buckeyes didn't return to Columbus until the 4 a.m. hour Tuesday, leaving a somewhat difficult decision up to the head coach with Week 2 waiting five days away.
"We had some decisions to make; do we jump right into Hawai'i? Or do we fix, because there was a lot of errors we had against Virginia Tech," Meyer said. "So the coaches made a cut-up of Virginia Tech because you only had (some errors)."
The Buckeyes committed six penalties and turned the ball over three times against the Hokies Labor Day Night, the first two giveaways being the catalysts behind a 17-14 halftime deficit at Lane Stadium.
A broken collarbone suffered by Hokie starting quarterback Michael Brewer early in the third quarter completely changed the face of the game in Ohio State's favor. Virginia Tech's offense wasn't the same after his exit, and Braxton Miller's resurgence from a year absence pushed the Buckeyes out front for good in the period. Miller's two touchdowns earned him Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors, the second making the Internet go nuts the rest of the night and in the days that followed.
"All the emotions hit me, just getting back out there with the guys, making plays, high-fiving with everybody on the sidelines, just felt like I ain't miss a beat," Miller said Wednesday, who broke down in the locker room following the game. "Just felt blessed and I feel like I want to do it again."
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The opportunities are sure to continue for Miller, but the rapid U-turn Ohio State must make before it hosts the Rainbow Warriors has Meyer a bit perturbed. Hawai'i runs a different style of offense and defense than most teams, and Norm Chow's club had an extra four days to prepare for the Buckeyes: It beat Colorado last Thursday in its home opener.
"It's one of those defenses that's completely different than what we faced," Meyer said. "It's a 3-4 defense and it's called smoke blitzes. Indiana did it last year and it really hurt us. Some other teams have hurt us badly with that. Navy, it's a Navy-type defense, and it's just unique that — it's something you need reps at, and we haven't had any."
OPPONENT BREAKDOWN
A pair of USC castoffs lead Hawai'i, first with Chow — an Aloha State native who served as the Trojans offensive coordinator from 2001-04 — in addition to quarterback Max Wittek, who played in 13 games at the school from 2012-13.
The Rainbow Warriors haven't won more than four games in each of Chow's first three seasons at the helm, including a disastrous 1-11 in 2013 when they lost five games by seven points or fewer.
Wittek is believed to be the answer at quarterback for Chow, however, bringing a strong arm and plenty of experience to the most vital position on the field.
Chow's offenses at USC were some of the most potent in the country, an integral part to the Trojans winning back-to-back national titles in 2003 (BCS) and 2004 (AP). He coached such talent at Heisman Trophy winners Carson Palmer and Reggie Bush, other college stars like Matt Leinart, Lendale White, Dwayne Jarrett and Mike Williams, who all put up crazy numbers and helped Pete Carroll build a dynasty.
The Rainbow Warriors, though, are short on talent as compared to those vaunted USC teams. Frankly, most teams are — there's a reason the Trojans won it all in consecutive years.
Meyer compared Hawai'i's offense to the high-scoring plateau put forth by the Baylor Bears on his Thursday radio show, noting the Rainbow Warriors have two wide receivers "who can play anywhere in America."
"If you're screwing around, they can hurt you," he said.
Wittek threw for 202 yards and three touchdowns in Hawai'i's 28-20 season opening victory against Colorado, but also tossed two interceptions (both in the first half) and only completed half of his 38 pass attempts.
"I just told him to stick with it when things weren't going well," Chow said of Wittek after the win. "You see he's got a terrific arm and I just told him to just take what they could give us. He wanted to make a big play, but it was his leadership and skills that kept us in it."
A botched spotting of the ball by officials prevented Colorado from getting off one last play in an attempt to tie the game late, giving the Rainbow Warriors a win in their season opener for the first time since 2011.
Chow welcomed Don Bailey to Honolulu as his offensive coordinator for the 2015 season, looking to bring back the uptempo and high-powered offenses fans grew accustomed to seeing from Hawai'i when quarterbacks Timmy Chang and Colt Brennan torched the gridiron in the early to mid-2000s.
"Don brings us a lot of unique, different ideas," Chow said. "His style has been terrific for us. The players have bought in, he's a great leader of the offense. I'm glad he's here."
The more than 4,500-mile flight across the Pacific Ocean and continental United States is not small task for any team, though, and Chow knows it — especially with facing off against the defending national champions.
"Obviously we know what's at stake, we know who we're playing and all that. We're honored to play them," Chow said Wednesday, according to the team's official website. "But it's just another game and our guys are going to try as hard as they can and we'll see what happens."
BUCKEYE BREAKDOWN
Ohio State gets the services of four key players back this week for its bout with the Rainbow Warriors, most notably All-American defensive end Joey Bosa. H-backs Jalin Marshall and Dontre Wilson also return, as does wide receiver Corey Smith to add depth to an already loaded skill group out wide.
Sam Hubbard and Jalyn Holmes filled in admirably for Bosa, who spent Monday night babysitting running back Ezekiel Elliott's new puppy. Bosa's listed as a co-starter on this week's depth chart with Hubbard, but make no mistake: He's a difference maker and one of the top linemen in America.
"Joey's probably one of the best, if not the best player in the nation," sophomore middle linebacker Raekwon McMillan said Wednesday. "You always know Joey's going to make a play every now and then. Just has great big play ability."
Ohio State's loaded roster is going to put it in a great position to win most every game it plays during the regular season and Hawai'i is no different. The Buckeyes are just bigger, faster and stronger. Plain and simple.
But a short week coupled with Hawai'i's tempo and at times gimmicky defensive strategies could provide some intrigue early, especially if the Buckeyes turn the ball over like they did against Virginia Tech Monday.
"Here's the issue, is that we only get so many. That was not a very long practice, 17, 18 periods, because I can't — you go any longer, you're wearing them out after just playing two days ago," Meyer said Wednesday. "So how do we get those reps? That's going to be tough this week."
HOW IT PLAYS OUT
It's truly difficult to imagine a scenario where Ohio State loses this game. Such a lengthy trip and a five-time zone difference awaits Hawai'i, who just flat doesn't have the bodies to run with a team like the Buckeyes.
Meyer elected to give the start at quarterback Monday to Cardale Jones, but Barrett made the most of his time against Virginia Tech also, leading the offense on a scoring drive when the game was already decided.
The Rainbow Warriors might keep it interesting early, especially if Wittek is able to hit some deep passes for touchdowns like the 79-yard bomb to wide receiver Marcus Kemp last week against Colorado.
Plenty of younger players should get a chance to show what they can do to the coaching staff on a big stage, and those true freshmen that don't play will likely end up redshirting 2015.
In the end, it probably won't tell us much about Ohio State that we don't already know — it's extremely skilled and well-coached.
ELEVEN WARRIORS STAFF PREDICTION: Ohio State 60, Hawai'i 16
