After a chaotic and ultimately tragic last 48 hours, head coach Urban Meyer met with reporters for his weekly press conference Monday afternoon. Here's what he had to say:
- Meyer on the tragic death of walk-on Kosta Karageorge: “To overcome the incredible tragedy that happened last night, that’s a real challenge … this is so much deeper than lining up on a football field." Karageorge was found dead near campus after going missing for four days. Police say he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
- Meyer on last 48 hours, which include the loss of Karageorge and a season-ending injury to star quarterback J.T. Barrett: "You can look in a coaching manual, I'm not sure you'll find anything."
- Meyer on reports that Karageorge suffered from a history of concussion that may or may have not played a role in his death: "I know this is the best group of medical people I've been around."
- Meyer reiterated J.T. Barrett had successful surgery on a broken right ankle that he still deserves to be a Heisman candidate: "If he's not, there's something wrong ... I hope that young man is invited to New York, and he should be"
- Meyer on Ohio State playing without J.T. Barrett and previous obstacles like a season-ending injury to Braxton Miller, Noah Spence’s suspension and denied appeal: “Every red flag’s up, every excuse is out there.”
- Meyer on being four-point underdogs in the Big Ten Championship Game Saturday: “We’re underdogs? I didn’t know that.”
- Meyer on backup quarterback Cardale Jones, who will make his first career start Saturday: “It’s not like he hasn’t taken snaps with the one offense … we expect our quarterbacks to prepare a certain way.”
- Meyer on Spence’s appeal being denied last week: “Which I don’t agree with, by the way” because it didn’t deal with performance-enhancing drugs.
- Meyer was asked whether it’s hard to be a walk-on player on major football team filled with scholarship players — many of whom will go onto the NFL: “My experience is the opposite … there are some guys on scholarship who don’t like it at all. If (walk-ons) don’t like, they’re not playing.”
- Ohio State finished first in attendance and student attendance this year. “It’s a student-run program … Every year we do a multitude of things with our student body … the minute you stop being appreciate of the students, you lose them.”
