If Ohio State fans were hoping to see a change in the philosophy of how head coach Urban Meyer plans to use his quarterbacks going forward, it looks like that's not going to happen this week.
“We have one and then one that’s gonna play," Meyer said Tuesday on the Big Ten coaches weekly teleconference. "It’s game-to-game and as of now, Cardale will start against Northern Illinois and J.T. will be ready to go.”
A lackluster offensive performance against Hawai'i has left many wondering if Meyer should just pick one guy and go with that exclusively that quarterback. The fourth-year Buckeyes coach, though, doesn't foresee that happening.
"If we’re gonna say just J.T. will not play or if J.T. will eventually becomes the quarterback that Cardale won’t play, I don’t think that’s gonna happen but I don’t want to make a statement," Meyer said.
Fresh off a 38-0 win over the Rainbow Warriors, the Buckeyes take on Northern Illinois at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Ohio Stadium.
"They’re winners. They’ve won 11 games for the past four or five years," Meyer said of the Huskies. "This is a Big Ten-quality team."
Additional Meyer notes:
- Meyer was asked if there's a specific point in every season when he can tell what his team's identity will be. Meyer said it varies from year-to-year depending on the experience of the team. "It’s a little bit more of a mature team this year so I have a better feel with a more mature team," he said. "I know what Darron Lee can do now. So it all depends on the youth and experience of your team.”
- On Ohio State kicker Jack Willoughby, Meyer said, "He's a great kid. A very intelligent guy, a very smart, hard worker. I think he’s used to our system. He’s gotta perform better. We had two penalties last week and he’s better than that, but we’re gonna stick with him because it means a lot to him. I’m real impressed with him.”
- Meyer said "nothing has changed" as far as Ed Warinner's role on game day or in game planning other than he's the primary play caller on offense, though Meyer still does have say in that regard.
- When asked how big the target was on Ohio State's back, Meyer said, "I think these players have come to expect that they’re gonna get everybody’s best shot and you better be at your best.”
- On Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa, Meyer said, "He just needs to continue to get better and continue improvement throughout the season, but he’s going to play at a very high level.”
Penn State hosts Rutgers this weekend for the opening game of the Big Ten season and the additional 13 league coaches participated on Tuesday's teleconference. Check out what each of them had to say below.
Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern):
- Fitzgerald on this weekend's matchup with Duke: "It's going to be a heck of a challenge for us."
- Fitzgerald on Northwestern being a top-25 team: "We've been working hard to really teach our guys how to eliminate distractions. ... I expect our team to be ranked, I expect our team to compete for championships."
- Fitzgerald on what he wants to see most from his team this weekend: "I think we're playing enough young players that I just want to see how they handle a road trip."
Jim Harbaugh (Michigan):
- Harbaugh on Greg Mattison: "I have a lot of respect for Coach Mattison as a coach and he's a lifelong friend of our family. He does a tremendous job in all aspects of mentoring, player development and coaching."
- "I definitely think there's a point where your team has an identity."
- Harbaugh on possibility of Notre Dame returning to Michigan's schedule: "I'll probably have a conversation with Coach Kelly about that before anybody else. We'd be open to it, yes."
- Harbaugh said he received an explanation from the Big Ten on a roughing the kicker penalty Michigan was flagged for last Saturday.
- Harbaugh on how recruiting has changed since his time at Stanford: "I don't know. I can't categorize how it's really changed."
Paul Chryst (Wisconsin):
- Chryst on his concern with rushing numbers through two games: "I think that no matter what the numbers are, at this point of the season, you need to keep finding ways to get better. I wish that in a lot of areas we were more consistent."
- Chryst on Tanner McEvoy playing both ways for Wisconsin: "Tanner's a guy that we think can help us on offense and defense. I believe he can help us this season doing both."
Mike Riley (Nebraska):
- Riley said he's well-aware of the history of the Nebraska-Miami rivalry.
- On running back Terrell Newby: "He has earned that No. 1 position. Our evaluation of it was we probably rotated him out on the first game and we were going to let him play more."
Mark Dantonio (Michigan State):
- "Great game, great environment this past weekend versus Oregon."
- Dantonio on if there are talks within team about MSU being playoff team after win over Oregon: "We try to take a very mature outlook on this and I hope our players understand that. We try not to get too far ahead of ourselves and try and focus on the present."
- Dantonio on MSU's tight ends: "Jim Bollman, our tight ends coach, does an outstanding job with those guys."
- Dantonio said Michigan State practiced against Air Force's option attack this spring and summer. "I think it's extremely difficult to prepare for a team like that if you only have three days to prepare."
Kirk Ferentz (Iowa):
- Ferentz on his team's strong start: "I think the thing we're most pleased with is we've seen some leadership develop here in the last six or eight weeks."
- Ferentz on quarterback C.J. Beathard: "He's got a really live arm, he's a tremendous athlete and he's a great young man."
- Ferentz also compared Beathard to former Iowa quarterback Brad Banks in terms of his personality and how he commands a huddle.
Jerry Kill (Minnesota):
- "We're playing really well on defense right now, but we're trying to focus on some mistakes that we've been making and get those fixed."
- Kill on Kent State's female kicker: "I think it's good. I've got two daughters who were athletes. It's a good thing."
- After difficult games against TCU and Colorado State, Kill said Minnesota is "not a healthy football team right now."
Kyle Flood (Rutgers):
- Flood on the status of wide receiver Leonte Carroo, who was recently suspended: "No status change as of right now."
- Rutgers plays Penn State in a Big Ten game this weekend. Flood on opening league season so early: "I like it. We're excited about getting the conference schedule going."
Bill Cubit (Illinois):
- Illinois won its first two games easily, but faces North Carolina this weekend. Cubit: "We won the games we should have won and I thought we played pretty well in both which was not the case last year. As I told the kids, you're gonna get hit in the mouth now."
- On Illinois' defense, Cubit said, "Up front, our defensive line looks different than it has the last couple years. ... I think it's the aggressive style of our defense and I think our coaches are doing a great job. They're believing in themselves and I think belief is a big part of being successful."
Randy Edsall (Maryland):
- Edsall said Caleb Rowe will start at quarterback this week for the Terrapins.
- "We've gotta be able to get off the field on third down. We had plenty of opportunities last week and we didn't do that."
Darrell Hazell (Purdue):
- Purdue plays Virginia Tech this weekend. "Our offensive line and our backs have to do a good job of picking up all of the blitzes they're gonna give us and then you have to be able to beat man-to-man coverage on the outside."
- Hazell on quarterback Austin Appleby's performance last week: "He did a much better job of throwing the ball away when there wasn't something available to him. He threw a lot more confident than he did the first week."
James Franklin (Penn State):
- Franklin on facing Rutgers without Leonte Carroo: "Whenever you lose an impact player, whenever you lose one of your playmakers, it has an impact, no doubt about it. I think whenever you lose a guy like that it has an impact, but they've got four really good running backs and a big, physical offensive line."
- Franklin on Christian Hackenberg's play through the first two games: "Obviously the biggest factor for us is Game 2, he didn't get sacked once and only got hit twice. ... As the line continues to grow, you'll see Christian's role continue to grow."
Kevin Wilson (Indiana):
- Wilson on Western Kentucky offense: "Very talented team, they're picked to win their conference and we're excited to prepare and take them on this week."
- Wilson said he was pleased with Indiana's defensive improvement from Week 1 to Week 2.
