Joey Bosa, swarmed by a strong contingent of media members on the indoor turf at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, quickly turned his head to the left.
A reporter had just told the Ohio State All-American defensive end that one of his teammates—safety Tyvis Powell—said the coaching staff had been doing their best to keep things light at practice with so many days between games for the Buckeyes.
"Light?" Bosa asked Thursday, his eyes wide and a perplexed look encompassing his face.
The reporter rephrased, saying they meant loose in atmosphere (read: fun) and not workload.
"Oh, I was like what the hell are you talking about?" Bosa responded to a chorus of laughter. "Yeah, I think were at least trying to have fun. It’s hard to come out and just practice and practice and practice when you don’t have a game for so long."
Powell mentioned earlier that some defensive linemen were catching passes after practice concluded, an activity that likely will never happen in a game on Ohio State's offense. Bosa didn't know who among his unit had been doing that, but the message was clear.
“At the end of every practice, we have a little challenge for the young guys. Started off doing a circle drill with the young guys. Just to lighten things up because throughout the season, we had a lot of pressure and were all tensed up.”– Raekwon McMillan
Urban Meyer and his staff are trying their best to keep the players focused ahead of the Fiesta Bowl matchup against Notre Dame, while not wearing them out with mundane and humdrum assignments after a 12-game regular season. When the Buckeyes and Irish battle in Glendale, Arizona, New Year's Day, it'll be 34 days between games for each.
"At the end of every practice, we have a little challenge for the young guys," middle linebacker Raekwon McMillan said. "Started off doing a circle drill with the young guys. Just to lighten things up because throughout the season, we had a lot of pressure and were all tensed up."
As the defending national champions of college football, Ohio State shouldered a bit of added pressure during the 2015 season. The expectation was another championship, one that fell short after with 17-14 loss to Michigan State on Senior Day.
An annihilation of archrival Michigan the following week helped heal that wound a bit and put the team is position for another New Year's Six Bowl berth.
Still, practicing for so many days without a game really in sight can become tedious. Meyer and his staff, though, are doing their best to keep things lively, but intense.
"This year in particular, he’s done a great job of making it fun," Powell said of Meyer. "Sometimes practice can be long and drag on and on, but he’s cut it down."
Balancing on-field work in addition to film room preparation is spread out even more with so much time between games. The New Year's Day kickoff against the Fighting Irish marks the first time since 2011 Ohio State has had more than a month off before its bowl game.
"We’re finally getting into game plan with is nice we’re not just doing running around conditioning anymore," Bosa said.
The coaches spent a week recruiting, getting in touch with the future of their program before a dead period hit. The players had to finish final examinations while still practicing, but now get enjoy a bit of a break that's filled with mainly football and later family as the holidays approach.
Ohio State is set to travel to Arizona Sunday ahead of a final few days of bowl prep for the Fighting Irish. Brian Kelly's team represents the last opportunity for the Buckeyes to win their 12th game in 2015 – something Meyer accomplished in each of his first three seasons in Columbus.
The extended bowl period allows for younger players to get more live snaps in practice to get them ready for their opportunity next season as well.
"We'll keep them a little bit after," Meyer said. "We'll also extend — we'll go five, five with the ones and twos and then you go 15 reps with the threes. You just increase those reps during bowl practice."
Added Powell: "Next year’s coming around unfortunately and they have to be able to play. So I think seeing the young guys go out there and compete the way they do, it kind of brings the new spark in."
The mood remains intense despite attempts to keep things light around the holidays, such as Santa and his helpers stopping by the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. Doing so is important so things don't become too mundane, but beating Notre Dame to finish the season on a high note remains the objective.
"It's just been a lightened bowl practice, but I think we still work even harder than we did during the season," McMillan said.
