Standing 4-0 and with Indiana on tap, Urban Meyer took to 97.1 The Fan's airwaves to discuss all things Buckeye football with Paul Keels and Jim Lachey.
Urban Meyer appeared at 12:07 p.m. ET... a season record.
- "The best part of 4-0 is a chance to go 5-0."
- "When you play defense like that [against Rutgers], good things happen."
- Kerry Coombs is starting to develop a reputation as not only a recruiter, but a developer. Meyer cited Denzel Ward and Damon Arnette as examples.
- "We're not a zone team. We don't do that." Meyer appeals to elite CBs by saying they play man coverage, which is what NFL teams play.
- "People forget [Rutgers] had Iowa beat. Beat."
Coffee with the Coach Question from Richard in Columbus: Impact of J.T. Barrett's record-breaking?
- Meyer started by lauding Jungle Jack Hanna for some reason. Claimed he had a raccoon that "wasn't where it was supposed to be" and they called Jungle Jack.
- J.T. Barrett is one of Meyer's favorite players. His best quality is he doesn't force things. His interception against Rutgers was a bad throw. He plays tight with the ball and is "outstanding with it." Meyer said if fans see QBs scrambling behind the tackles, that's bad. "That's usually a holding penalty."
On Mike Weber:
- His leadership wasn't where it was supposed to be last year.
- Meyer and Mickey Marotti decreed he could only workout with Pat Elflein and J.T. Barrett. Those two taught him accountability.
- It's another example of the culture of the program. But as Barrett noted, it's the leaders that drive the culture. The culture is just the blueprint.
Meyer cited current wide receiver rotation as hockey shifts, where players are asked to go as hard as they can for a short amount of time. When asked about special teams performers, Meyer cited Parris Campbell. "I can't believe he hasn't scored."
Scouting Indiana:
- "They're building a program... Outstanding on special teams."
- Hoosiers have always been outstanding on offense, but a defensive staff restructuring paid off.
- "Seems like every year they're getting better and better."
- "The positive to this is nobody in this program is looking at the like, 'This is just Indiana.'"
- "They're the best defense we faced this year... and that includes Oklahoma."
- Larry Johnson told him Indiana has the best offensive line in the Big Ten outside of Columbus.
- "This will be our stiffest test."
- WR Mitchell Paige “does everything for them. Everything."
Kyle in Columbus: How do you feel about the defense? It feels like the best ever?
- "The one positive thing about Ohio State fans is they're out of their minds... You get 100,000 at a spring game... The negative is you play four games and fans are calling the defense the best ever."
- "Let's just go try to beat Indiana."
The target for players is 30-45 plays a game per player outside of a few exceptions. Anything more adds undue stress to the body.
Armando in Columbus: How many times can you remember making a significant halftime change that effected the outcome of a game?
- "Very rarely do you have to make that radical of a change."
- "The worst possible scenario is a few years ago against Virginia Tech." Meyer admitted the staff was completely unprepared for the Bear defense. "We were new across the board [on the offensive line] and starting a freshman quarterback."
- "I think Tim [Beck] and Ed [Warinner] did a fantastic job against Oklahoma."
- "Anytime it's a week off, early in the season, or a bowl game, that's when you see drastic changes." Meyer also said you have to be aware of opponent's bye weeks. Noted Wisconsin, next week's opponent, is off this week.
Dylan in Columbus: Have you ever considered Curtis Samuel returning the ball?
- "He returned kickoffs for us last year."
- Given Samuel's importance to the offense and other options, Meyer prefers to "share the wealth."
- "We already asking him to do a lot... I like where we're at. I like our returners. I think we're close to busting one."
Meyer talked with Bill Young, the former Ohio State defensive coordinator now at Tulsa, about tendencies he saw in the Buckeye offense. "We felt last year Indiana did a good job of listening to our cadence."
Benefits of the pistol:
- Makes second-level reads (linebackers) easier. If the linebacker triggers, it allows the quarterback to throw the ball. Joe Burrow did it last week against Rutgers.
- Meyer spent "a lot of time" with Rich Rodriguez learning the offense.
Full replay available at 971thefan.com.
