With Penn State dispatched in a double overtime thriller, and Illinois coming to town, Urban Meyer joined former All-American Jim Lachey and the voice of the Buckeyes, Paul Keels, on the airwaves of 97.1 The Fan for Urban Meyer Coach's Call-In Show.
Urban said Ohio State didn't play well in the second half of Ohio State, but in the end "they stuck it in the endzone in two plays against the No. 1 rush defense in the country." Urban said their response shows the importance of the work the team did with Tim Kight.
J.T. Barrett is "braced up" now, but he'll be "ready to go" against Illinois.
Urban said "there's not a defense out there we haven't seen," but notes every defense they've faced has shown something different than they did on tape. Notes a lot of their opponents are coming off byes which "is a disadvantage, but you've just gotta deal with it."
Urban said he joked with James Franklin to quit picking Ohio State as their white out game. Franklin replied, "It's probably going to be like that every year."
Urban said he's really starting to "feel" the defense. It leads the Big Ten in interceptions, it hits the quarterback and creates turnovers. "We certainly don't have the answers yet but we're headed that direction."
Urban Meyer admitted he "didn't see it" in the recruitment of Darron Lee, a sub-4.5 high school quarterback, as a college linebacker, but Luke Fickell did. Urban lauded Lee's performance this year; "He's going to be an NFL linebacker if he keeps going."
Sam Hubbard "should be" playing, but hasn't yet. Looks like a redshirt year for the athletic freak.
Urban said Illinois is better on tape than he expected due to their record. "You turn it on and you see a bunch of good players running around out there."
On running back depth: Bri'onte Dunn "won't be ready" as he continues to rehab a pulled hamstring. Warren Ball "is in the mix," but the guy to watch is Jalin Marshall, "who can do a lot of things for us."
Urban said Jalin Marshall "is always worked as quarterback" in practice because he played the position in high school. They have a wildcat package featuring him, but if this was the game they plan on using him outside of that: "I probably wouldn't tell you."
Urban Meyer agreed "100%" with a caller suggesting more jet sweeps to the outside. They had a couple of them called against Penn State, but due to their constant field corner blitzing, OSU had to kill the original calls. "We've had those discussions within our coaching staff. We have athletes we need to get into space."
On short-yardage struggles: "Tom's going to have to throw it, because everyone is loading the box in there." Urban noted that's when they miss a running back like Carlos Hyde.
Ezekiel Elliott is the embodiment of the culture Urban Meyer is building within Ohio State. "He's the epitome of our team." "If he puts his foot in the ground [on a block], it's violent." Admitted he's "a bit banged up," but he'll be "100% on Saturday."
Urban Meyer said while the defense is approving, they're not near the Silver Bullet era. "However, it starts with personnel." Says Ohio State "went dry" for awhile at linebacker position. "The future is really strong." "As for recruiting, we're doing well at a couple of positions."
Urban said it's tough sometimes trying to instill confidence in his players without instilling false confidence. That's why he coaches with "100% honesty" with players, and why he critiques players in public sometimes. He knows no other way.
Urban is hoping the team grew up at Penn State. "J.T. Barrett has never been in that situation in his life." Billy Price, who Urban said didn't play well, provided a key-block on Penn State's best defensive lineman on J.T. Barret's game-winning play. "We try to replicate those situations in the weight room... but it's nowhere close."
Urban said the coaches have talked about getting Cardale Jones passing work during games, but "J.T. needs as much as he can too."
Devin Smith: "the best gunner in college football."
Full replay available at 97TheFan.com.
