Forever a creature of routine, Urban Meyer didn't want his Ohio State football team to have an off weekend before the end of September.
“I wish it was a little bit later in the year but once again I don't spend that much time talking about it,” Meyer said Tuesday on the Big Ten teleconference.
The Buckeyes do not have a choice in 2016, getting an opportunity to take a breath after their three non-conference contests and before Big Ten play kicks off. The Buckeyes host Rutgers on Saturday at noon.
And while they have an extra week to prepare for former co-defensive coordinator Chris Ash's Scarlet Knights, a new feel permeates the Woody Hayes Athletic Center starting Monday with game prep for the first Big Ten opponent on the schedule.
“This is a big week,” left tackle Jamarco Jones said on Wednesday. “We got a bye week after the first couple of games to get ourselves ready and now we get to get ready for the Big Ten conference and this is what it's all about it.”
Ohio State had plenty to work on during its off week, including addressing the nearly 10 penalties per game average in wins against Bowling Green, Tulsa and Oklahoma. Meyer continues to preach the need for more balance on offense and coaches never feel comfortable enough with the depth they have in all phases of the game.
An early off week gives Ohio State an opportunity to review its three game tapes and hash out the mistakes while fine tuning everything else. The Buckeyes played well against the Falcons, Golden Hurricane and Sooners, outscoring them by a combined 170-37 and as a result led the country in a bevy of statistical categories.
A pair of lesser powers in Rutgers and Indiana at home serve as appetizers before the Big Ten main course for Ohio State. Road games at Penn State and Wisconsin then bouts with Michigan State and Michigan on back-to-back weekends to close the regular season loom.
For a team with high aspirations despite losing 16 starters and 12 NFL Draft picks a year ago, this week is the start of what matters most.
“Coming off a big win we’ve got a break, get to watch the film and the coaches will get into us to humble us and get us back down to earth because you know everybody will blow you up,” defensive end Jalyn Holmes said. “I feel like this is a great time to have a bye week and get ready for the Big Ten.”
Players that spoke to the media after practice on Wednesday said they planned to watch college football on Saturday and if they live close enough, use the opportunity to see their families. Ohio State typically reconvenes for its first practice of the new week on Sunday before an off day Monday then consecutive workouts the following days to get ready for its next game. However, Meyer gave his players the whole weekend off and Ohio State is set to practice for the first time this weekend on Monday.
Routine is vital to any team's success but an open week threatens to mess with it because it is something out of the ordinary. In 2016, it just so happens the opening slices Ohio State's non-conference schedule from its Big Ten slate.
“We get this bye week and some people go home and some people get to just relax,” H-back Curtis Samuel said. “I feel like that’s going to really open people’s eyes and help understand where we’re at right now as a team and we’ll come back and be ready.”
Whether or not the Buckeyes are ready for Ash's Rutgers squad on homecoming weekend won't be seen until Saturday. But how they attack the preparation will determine whether or not Ohio State will continue to improve at the rate Meyer wants while winning the games that truly matter.
“We have a little bit of momentum going now after the first couple of games,” Jones said. “We can't lose that momentum.”
How Ohio State responds in practice will determine if that momentum from a terrific 3-0 start keeps rolling. The Buckeyes are heavily favored to beat Rutgers and should. But the staff will want to see the progression in the areas that caused problems earlier this season. Those mistakes could be costly down the line against Big Ten opponents. This week is the first chance Ohio State has at avoiding them in conference play.
“The intensity cranks up a little bit knowing it's conference play,” quarterback J.T. Barrett said. “With that, we want to make sure we're nine units strong and we compete for the Big Ten championship at the end of November. Screws get a little tightened, you buckle your chin strap a little tighter and we're just going to go to work.”
