The Drought is Over
Caleb Downs scores Ohio State’s first punt return touchdown since 2014.
How does Urban Meyer have fun?
He's been seen roaming the waters at Put-in-Bay, rocking a mean goatee and even doing some dishes at local grub hubs while on a boat vacation with his family.
Ohio State's head football coach lost the balance in his life while at the University of Florida, where trips to the hospital for chest pains ended with his resignation and one-year hiatus from coaching.
Of course, there's that winning football games and national championships thing that brings excitement. Meyer tallied 50 wins through four seasons in Columbus, and beat Alabama and Oregon to claim the first-ever College Football Playoff National Championship in 2014.
Images following those games show Meyer smiling, full-tooth, from ear-to-ear with his family and players by his side, an affirmation of the enjoyment of climbing the college football mountain when the country thought it would happen one year later.
Ohio State faced towering expectations following that night in Dallas, with nearly everybody returning to a program fresh off its eighth national championship and with a shot to do it all again. It didn't finish the way it was originally scripted, but a 12-1 season culminating in a Fiesta Bowl victory against Notre Dame isn't anything to dismiss when 2015 is revisited. A loss to Michigan State on senior day kept the Buckeyes out of the Big Ten Championship game and College Football Playoff.
"Those who know me, I can't let go of things. I've let go of that," Meyer said after downing Notre Dame, 44-28, in Arizona. "We just won the Fiesta Bowl."
An exodus of talent in the form of early NFL Draft entrants and graduation left Ohio State with a bunch of unknowns heading into 2016, similarly to before the 2014 season.
That season ended with Meyer holding the College Football Playoff trophy above his head. Now, Ohio State likely won't always be the heavy favorite in each game it plays. Will that make it more, dare we say, "fun"?
"Fun. You use that word sometimes. Fun," Meyer said Jan. 7, a curve of his lip revealing a smirk on his face. "I don't use that word much. Fun."
He certainly doesn't, at least in a media setting. It's Meyer's job to win games at all cost, not to make sure his players necessarily enjoy themselves by doing so. It's not like winning isn't fun, although it can become an anchor if not handled correctly with a wealth of success.
“The world is changed. When you go into a season as ranked as high as you are and having the expectations you have, you gotta learn to manage that and learn to handle that. For those guys, I think it’s a learning experience. I know for us coaches, it's a learning experience. It's not going to change.“– Luke Fickell
In 2016, Meyer has his starting quarterback (J.T. Barrett) and center (Pat Elflein, who will move over from guard) back, one other starter up front on offense in guard Billy Price and questions elsewhere. A horde of talent left from the 2015 defense too, including what could be the No. 1 overall selection in April's NFL Draft, All-American defensive end Joey Bosa. Only three starters return from the unit: end Tyquan Lewis, middle linebacker Raekwon McMillan and corner Gareon Conley.
Not much is known about Meyer's next team outside those facts, although he and his assistant coaches certainly know what they have walking the halls of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. Highly ranked recruiting classes allows places like Ohio State to reload each year, but the new challenges could bring a different kind of enjoyment to Columbus this fall.
That's not to say 2015 wasn't fun, but 2016 will be different. Every season is, but national championship expectations at Ohio State aren't going anywhere.
"The reality is, there's a lot of pressure on these guys," defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Luke Fickell said. "It's not just pressure on the head coach, it's not just pressure on one specific person. The world is changed. When you go into a season as ranked as high as you are and having the expectations you have, you gotta learn to manage that and learn to handle that. For those guys, I think it’s a learning experience. I know for us coaches, it's a learning experience.
"It's not going to change."
No, it's not, but getting to the zenith of your job is a different trial than staying there. That goes for all professions, not just college football.
"It’s as enjoyable of a coaching year as it might have been because you got a lot of guys that are hungry and maybe have a little chip on their shoulder like these guys did two years ago," Fickell said. "Not that this wasn't fun, not that this wasn't exciting, but it's a different mentality to climb the mountain as opposed to stay on top of the mountain and hold the mountain and find ways to make yourself better when you're really at the top."
Meyer uses every opportunity he has to talk up the culture and mindset he, strength coach Mickey Marotti and others established quickly at Ohio State. It's why, they say, starters like Vonn Bell don't bat an eye when asked to play on multiple special teams units and Ezekiel Elliott jumps at the idea of being a lead blocker on a quarterback run. Those are two NFL talents doing the little things, and enjoying them.
"Vonn Bell is running down on kickoffs and then of course he's having people calling him saying, 'Why would you do that?'" Meyer said. "There's gotta be a reason why. Why would you run down on kickoff? That's a good question for all of us to ask. Why would you do that? Why would Zeke Elliott play so damn hard?
"Why would he do that?" Meyer continued, hitting a balled-up fist on the podium three times in rapid succession while he spoke. "I'm going to ask this team coming back. Why did he do that? He did it for love of teammate, love of unit and the culture that's here at Ohio State."
That is open for interpretation, though Meyer believes it. He also believes 2016 will bring brand new tests, just like every year. That could be amusing.
"It'll be a challenge and challenges are fun," he said.
