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Ohio State blows out Indiana, 38-15. Now, it's time to do the same to That Team Up North.
With a monumental game against No. 1 Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinal looming in the not-so-distant future, Urban Meyer’s mind must be racing at 100 miles-a-minute whether it’s figuring out a way to puncture the Crimson Tide’s defense or flashbacks to old battles against longtime foe Nick Saban.
Ohio State’s head coach seems as preoccupied as ever, and losing offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tom Herman added to the clutter.
And amidst so many things going on, replacing him is a priority that starts now.
"This is a big hire," he said Thursday afternoon. "This is huge."
After all, Herman — whom Houston hired to be its next head coach Tuesday — is instrumental to Ohio State's high-powered offense, which averages 45 points and 508 yards a game despite losing two starting quarterbacks in three months.
It’s why this year, of course, is perhaps Herman’s finest work after Braxton Miller suffered a season-ending injury 12 days before the season opener. In turn, Herman helped mold J.T. Barrett into a Heisman Trophy contender. And when Barrett broke his ankle against Michigan in the regular-season finale, he turned Cardale Jones into a Big Ten Championship-winning quarterback in first-career start.
Because of it, Herman’s name bounced off the coaching search radar in flashing neon lights (not that it wasn’t already). It’s a job that’s well-deserved and a long-time-coming.
“We had a good conversation this morning. He didn't initiate it; I did. ‘How can I help you? Where are you at?’ (He said) ‘I've got a team meeting tomorrow,’ and had that frazzled look that we've all seen. So he's really handling it well,” Meyer said.
“He loves Ohio State. He's appreciative of Ohio State. It's all good. It's all good.”
After all, Herman’s a rising star after starting out in the Division III ranks.
“(We) took a chance on Tom. Some people don't realize that,” Meyer said.
“I'm sure some of you remember: ‘Tom Herman? We're bringing Iowa State's offense to Ohio State?’ (But) what his recommendation and what people told me about him was correct. It started with (current Philadelphia Eagles and former Oregon coach) Chip Kelly and some close friends said, ‘Look at this guy.’ I talked to him several times. His interview was off the charts. He's been a really instrumental member of our staff.”
Like Meyer said after hiring assistants Chris Ash and Larry Johnson to replace Everett Withers and Mike Vrabel, staff turnover is “like a player. If you lose a great player and you don't replace him with a great player, it's just going to happen, you're not going to be as good.”
So Meyer’s prepared to move forward and then some.
“I'm not going to release any,” Meyer said. “But I've got plans.”
What they entail remains another matter.
