Ohio State hosts Bowling Green on Saturday for its season-opener and Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer revealed Tuesday what his biggest concern is regarding the Falcons.
"My No. 1 concern going into this is the quick screens and how our secondary and linebackers are going to react to just getting those guys on the ground," Meyer said on the Big Ten coaches weekly teleconference. "It’s going to be a real quick, fast-paced game and our job is to win that first game."
"Obviously, we’ve got depth on the offensive line issues and a first-time tailback, but I just want to make sure we tackle those guys and get them on the ground.”
Meyer has mentioned numerous times his respect for Bowling Green and the Mid-American Conference. He was the head coach of the Falcons back in 2001 and 2002.
Bowling Green has won the MAC East division three-straight years and has won two of the last three MAC championships.
Additional Meyer notes:
- Meyer was asked again about the suspension of redshirt freshman wide receiver Torrance Gibson. He said Monday he did not agree with the suspension and on Tuesday he did not comment any further on the matter but did add he had "zero indication" Gibson intended to leave the football program. Our Eric Seger has more on that here.
- Meyer said Ohio State will probably list Denzel Ward and Marshon Lattimore as co-starters at cornerback opposite Gareon Conley as a decision on a starter has not yet been made. "Both of them will play on a rotation basis and I think right now we’re going to play three for sure," Meyer said. "Then the fourth guy is Damon Arnette."
- Speaking of Conley, Meyer said big things are expected of the fourth-year junior. "He was voted captain, a guy that redshirted and just developed. He plays hard all the time and has been an integral member of our special teams," Meyer said. "He’s already shown a couple of great examples of leadership throughout training camp so I’m really proud of him and he’s going to be a big part of our team this year, obviously.”
- On redshirt junior offensive lineman Billy Price, Meyer said: “He’s the face of our program. His growth has been exponential. ... He’s an integral part of our team and he’s represented Ohio State the right way and he’s got a future that most people can only dream of. He’s a really smart student, great worker and he’s got a nice future ahead of him.”
- Meyer said the path of redshirt junior defensive tackle Tracy Sprinkle is "one of those great stories."
The very first Big Ten games of the season will take place Thursday night with Indiana traveling to Florida International and Minnesota hosting Oregon State. Michigan State hosts Furman on Friday.
The rest of the league will be in action Saturday. The Big Ten's marquee matchup of the weekend is Wisconsin taking on LSU at Lambeau Field. That game is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff.
To speak on those opening week matchups, the other 13 league coaches in addition to Meyer joined the Big Ten teleconference Tuesday for the first time this season. Check out some highlights of what each had to say below.
Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern):
- On the return of Northwestern's playmakers, Fitzgerald said, "We've got a lot of room for improvement there."
Jim Harbaugh (Michigan):
- Harbaugh said Michigan's quarterbacks know who the starter will be and the team already knows, but he has no plans of releasing that to the public before Saturday's season-opener.
- Harbaugh would consider a return trip to Hawai'i, saying he played there once as a player in 1986.
- Harbaugh initially thought eight true freshmen would play this season, but that number now could be somewhere "between 12 and 15."
Paul Chryst (Wisconsin):
- Chryst said Wisconsin didn't spend all of fall camp prepping for LSU and Leonard Fournette. "You don't spend all of your time preparing for LSU, but we know the challenges they present us, certainly."
- Chryst on the revenge factor against LSU: "There aren't many guys who played in that game a couple years ago."
- On Wisconsin's difficult schedule, Chryst said, "It's a heck of a schedule, but that's why this group of players chose Wisconsin."
Mike Riley (Nebraska):
- On Nebraska's offense, Riley said, "We explored some stuff, tweaked some stuff and isolated some things. We found things we wanted to improve on to become more consistently successful."
- Riley emphasized Nebraska's want for a more consistent running game this fall.
- Riley called Nebraska's wide receivers "one of the deepest groups on the team."
Mark Dantonio (Michigan State):
- Dantonio on what he's looking for from his young players in Friday's season-opener: "You're looking for great execution and you want to see guys play. Practice is much different from games and games give you a new sense of urgency."
- Dantonio: "We'll be judged at the end and lately we've been pretty good at the end of the season."
- On starting quarterback Tyler O'Connor, Dantonio said, "Tyler has shown a great deal of maturity and discipline in the way he's handled this entire process. ... He's been a great leader for our football team."
Kirk Ferentz (Iowa):
- On Iowa's freshmen and their chances to play: "With most of our freshmen, we might take it right until game time. ... We've got a lot of them right now that are in the pseudo two-deep."
- Ferentz said he expects anywhere between eight and 12 true freshmen to play.
- Ferentz: "This is a new year."
Tracy Claeys (Minnesota):
- Claeys said he has more optimism about stopping the run this season because last season Minnesota played without its top four defensive tackles.
- On Minnesota's apparent attendance declines, Claeys said, "I do as many things as I can out in public. ... The bottom line is you've gotta win. The more ball games you win, the more people will come out and see you play."
Chris Ash (Rutgers):
- Rutgers opens its season at Washington. Ash was asked what the challenges are of a cross-country trip, and said, "Just how they handle themselves. It's a business trip. Do we pack all of our stuff, do we make all our meetings on time? I just want to see if we're a mature football team."
- Ash on what he's learned from Pete Carroll: "I've really been a fan of Pete Carroll for a long, long time. Any time you get a chance to go and watch him interact with his players, his coaches, I wanted to jump at it. I learned a lot when I was there."
Lovie Smith (Illinois):
- "There's nothing like the opening weekend of the football season," Smith said.
- Smith: "As a first-year coach, when you come in you look at the quarterback position and we have one in Wes Lunt."
- Smith was asked about the excitement level on Illinois' campus with a new coach. "The excitement has definitely picked up quite a bit. I've seen it, I've heard it," he said.
D.J. Durkin (Maryland):
- Durkin on his head coaching debut: "Really what I want to see from our guys is a team that plays with the characteristics we talk about that are important here."
Darrell Hazell (Purdue):
- Hazell: "There are a lot of exciting things happening around here right now."
- On the nine-game Big Ten schedule, Hazell said, "I think it's good that we do this. You have to be able to play and prove that you've played good people."
James Franklin (Penn State):
- Franklin was asked about being on the hot seat: "I'm excited to play Kent State. ... My focus is on the things that we can control and nothing else."
- Franklin on Penn State's turnover: "We've had a little bit more change than probably most places, but that's what college football has turned into."
Kevin Wilson (Indiana):
- On Indiana's running backs, Wilson said the program hadn't had a 1,000-yard rusher in 22 years prior to Tevin Coleman. Has had Coleman and Jordan Howard in recent years and said Devine Redding is "probably our most consistent practice player."
