For the first time in his Ohio State tenure, Urban Meyer reconvened with his team following a loss in a true road game on Sunday.
With the leaves beginning to change color and temperatures feeling more fall-like, the now No. 6 Buckeyes must regroup quickly before their first home game in three weeks. Ohio State hosts Northwestern at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Meyer met with reporters to dissect the Penn State loss and talk Wildcats in the team room of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Monday morning.
NOTES:
- Meyer did not name champions at the start of his press conference, instead just going straight to questions.
- Meyer does not foresee any personnel changes on the offensive line: "I don't foresee that, we just need to play better."
- Ohio State had a team meeting on Sunday and acknowledged how practices are different coming off a loss than a win: "It's not business as usual ... [The loss] happened. Move on and get ready for a very good team coming in here."
- "It's not time to go dive into people, it's time to correct issues." Meyer also called the Penn State a "very winnable game."
- Northwestern is as improved a team he's "ever seen" from the start of the season until now.
- The offense has "a multitude of things" wrong with it: "What do you do? You identify it, work on it and make personnel changes if you need to."
- Meyer noted the offense regressed since Ohio State's victory at Oklahoma.
- On the wide receivers, there are certain plays during the course of the game where he'll put specific guys on the field when he wants them. Other than that, he relies on Zach Smith for the rotation.
- "There's not a big differentiation in our group right now. I wish that would happen ... Noah is a pretty consistent guy but the other guys need to be better." — Meyer on the wide receivers.
- "A bunch of players are hurting, a bunch of coaches are hurting but this is the most time I'll spend on this today. We want to put that thing to bed."
- Asked if Ohio State looks at young receivers to play now, the focus is on improving the other guys who are first-time starters. He said Austin Mack and Binjimen Victor are not quite ready to be in situations like Saturday night.
- On the play of offensive tackles Jamarco Jones and Isaiah Prince, Meyer said you either coach them up or change the personnel: "There isn't someone there to replace [Prince]. He's going to be a fine player here."
- On the two blocked kicks Saturday: "You just gotta coach through that ... the punter took two extra steps too. Gotta work on it."
- Meyer "feels OK" about the play calling right now and doesn't intend to change anything with the structure.
- Curtis Samuel is one guy he's trying to get to touch the ball: "I think he did OK." Said Penn State did some things to take him away early in the game.
- Is Meyer happy with the coaching in the quarterback and wide receivers room? "That's a good question ... Very rarely would that answer be yes—I'm always pushing for more. Right now, after a loss, I think we can do better."
