For Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer and several of his veteran players, there won't be any extra intensity this week in practice despite the fact the Buckeyes have their biggest game of the season scheduled for Saturday when they welcome 13th-ranked Michigan State to Ohio Stadium.
“For the pros, no, and by pros I mean the Taylor Deckers, Pat Elfleins, I think they just come to work every day and go as hard as they can," Meyer said Tuesday on the Big Ten coaches weekly teleconference. "I would say maybe the time away from practice might be a little more intense with the iPad work and the film work that they do on their own. ... But for the guys that show up every day and go, no, I see it every week and they take care of business."
On the matchup with the Spartans, Meyer said the play at the line of scrimmage has been "the difference" in the three matchups between the two schools since Meyer took over at Ohio State.
Saturday's game is also Senior Day for the Buckeyes and while Meyer will honor plenty of notable seniors — Decker, linebacker Joshua Perry, wide receiver Braxton Miller and defensive tackle Adolphus Washington to name a few — the Ohio State coach did say he expects it to be the final home game for "a few" juniors, as well.
“Not a lot, but I would imagine a few," Meyer said. "I don’t want to throw a number on it because I don’t know. I think they’ve handled it professionally and I do think our guys make the right decision, whatever it is, because I do think they make an informed decision. That’s the most important thing.”
Additional Meyer notes:
- Meyer said Ohio State intends to stick with Sean Nuernberger at kicker despite Nuernberger's missed chip shot field goal against Illinois.
- Meyer said he feels the Big Ten East is one of the best divisions in all of college football. "From my coaching history this is one of the toughest divisions and it’s lived up to it,” he said.
- Meyer said the defensive line is critical to Ohio State's defense, but also added the play of the cornerbacks allows the scheme to work the way it should. “Where it’s changed a little bit is it also goes to the corner play. If you have bad corners you are really restricted in what you’re doing in our base defense," Meyer said. "It’s really evolved to do you have corners that can hang up in our style of defense and then obviously the D-line.”
- Meyer said there were no conversations about preserving running back Ezekiel Elliott for the team's stretch run. “Not at all. We’ve never even thought that way because we have to win each game we play and it hasn’t been easy," Meyer said."We’ve rode Zeke pretty hard, 20 to 25 carries and I can’t imagine much more than that per game for a tailback.”
- Michigan State's success through the air, Meyer said, can be attributed mostly to the play of quarterback Connor Cook. “I think they’ve got one of the best quarterbacks and Ohio State’s not the only team he’s had success against," Meyer said. "He’s a winner, a great player."
The Big Ten still has two of college football's five unbeaten teams in the Buckeyes and Iowa. The Hawkeyes can clinch a share of the Big Ten West Division and a berth in the Big Ten championship game with a win over Purdue on Saturday or a Northwestern win over Wisconsin.
In addition to Meyer, the Big Ten's 13 additional coaches spoke Tuesday on the Big Ten's weekly teleconference. Highlights from each are below.
Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern):
- On Wisconsin's defense: "I think it definitely starts from a talent standpoint. At all three levels, they have All-Big Ten caliber performers.
- Fitzgerald asked about the new rule allowing some 5-7 teams potentially to play in bowl games. "I'm all for as many young people as they can getting a taste for the postseason," he said.
- Fitzgerald said he's "perplexed" about some of the things he's heard nationally relating to Iowa.
Jim Harbaugh (Michigan):
- Harbaugh on what he was expecting Indiana to do on its fourth-down play in double overtime. "We were preparing for both options. They could have done either."
- Harbaugh on being the coach at Michigan: "I feel happy and productive in my role here as a coach at Michigan."
- Harbaugh on potential depth issues along the defensive line: "We're forging on."
Paul Chryst (Wisconsin):
- On Northwestern: "I think they're a really unique combination. They play good football and it's for a number of reasons. I think they have really good football players and they're really well coached.
Mike Riley (Nebraska):
- Riley on potential of 5-7 bowl teams: "We certainly want to keep our focus on winning that sixth game so we're not part of that conversation, but I've seen it happen before."
- Riley said recruiting efforts in Nebraska's bye week are "widespread" throughout the entire team. There's not one specific group his staff is focusing on.
Mark Dantonio (Michigan State):
- Dantonio on the line of scrimmage against Ohio State: "I think stopping the run and running the football has a lot to do with how you play up front. You've got to hold your ground at the line of scrimmage. You win up front, you usually have a great chance of winning a football game whether it's offensive or defense."
- On Ohio State's pass defense: "They're very cohesive. They have a system in place they understand and execute thoroughly."
- Dantonio was asked if he expects Connor Cook to play Saturday: "Just to be clear we don't talk about injuries."
- On the emergence of wide receiver Aaron Burbridge: "I think the biggest thing really is opportunities."
- On Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett, Dantonio said, "He's a very patient runner. He operates in the system and controls the system very, very well. He has great playmakers around him. I see a guy that doesn't seem to make a lot of mistakes and he's an efficient leader.
Kirk Ferentz (Iowa):
- On the success of Iowa's running game, Ferentz said, "It's really a community effort, both coaches and players."
- Ferentz on Iowa's senior class: "For us to have a good football team, our seniors have to play their best and they really have to lead the way."
Tracy Claeys (Minnesota):
- Claleys said Minnesota has stuck with the same routine throughout the week that it had when Jerry Kill was head coach.
- On Illinois: "They're a team that defensively, they've improved as the year has went on. ... The way they use their personnel on offense, we'll have to do a good job adjusting."
Kyle Flood (Rutgers):
- On defending Army's triple-option: "It's very difficult; it's a great challenge. You've got to make sure you've got a sound system and you've got to make sure your guys are running to the ball."
- On possibility of 5-7 teams being bowl eligible: "I've been told that that's a possibility, but I've not looked into that very much."
Bill Cubit (Illinois):
- Cubit on loss to Ohio State: "Had our chances, two botched field goals. Ohio State is an outstanding football team and they wore us down."
Mike Locksley (Maryland):
- Locksley on Maryland's alarming number of interceptions: "Just poor decision making on the part of our quarterbacks."
Darrell Hazell (Purdue):
- Hazell on Iowa: "It's one of the best teams I've seen in a long time running the zone play. ... The quarterback is very sneaky. He slides in the pocket, finds open guys, a very good player."
James Franklin (Penn State):
- Franklin on Michigan: "The first thing is when you look at the depth chart and you see how veteran they are. I think they have 18 senior starters. ... They were really talented on defense last year and pretty much everybody is back."
- Franklin on the Big Ten East: "You think about last year before the season started and the conversations about the Big Ten compared to the conversations we have now, they're completely different."
Kevin Wilson (Indiana):
- On Indiana's rushing success last weekend against Michigan: "I just think we were able to string together a couple plays, get a first down or two and string together drives. I think our line played well, too, and having a healthy Jordan Howard was really good."
- Wilson on decision to throw the ball on final play against Michigan: "Since they were playing the zone-read good, we decided we'd take our chances in some one-on-one matchups."
