Standing 5-0 and with No. 8 Wisconsin on tap, Urban Meyer took to 97.1 The Fan's airwaves to discuss all things Buckeye football with Paul Keels and Jim Lachey.
Upset! Meyer shows up at 12:08, narrowly missing last week's 12:07 record. He is "very pleased" right now with his team as last week as a bunch of "young guys stepped up."
Meyer noted the defensive line rotation helps his guys stay fresh for big moments like Ohio State's goal-line stand against Indiana.
On Parris Campbell:
- "He's a great practice player. He's a big guy and fast."
- "Not many players could've made that kickoff return."
- Seams are fast-closing, and players must hit them quickly and with authority. "He did that."
- "He was 15 or 16, some crazy number like that, when he got here." (He was 17.) "He's always been mature... but now his body is catching up with his mind. He's coming along."
Tom in Napoleon: Is there ever a time where you would ever envision all college football games being played at night?
- "No."
- Meyer noted the wear and tear involved in playing a game and getting back to Columbus at 4, 5 a.m. in the morning.
- "You always have to think of the welfare of the student-athletes."
- Did note there was a time in the Big Ten conference when "there were virtually no night games."
- Also said there was a time when people said the Big Ten was bad. Meyer doesn't hear that anymore. "I'm so happy for our conference."
"I like the direction of our offensive line," but Meyer noted there has been issues with pass protection." Branden Bowen is the sixth man on the line right now, and Matthew Burrell is "coming along."
"In practice, we're one short a tailback. [The dismissal of Bri'onte Dunn] hurt us. Demario McCall is coming along nicely, but he's not ready to be the man yet."
On the wide receivers:
- "We had a little speed bump last week. We didn't play exceptionally well."
- "This is a man coverage game. Go beat them and go get the ball."
- Austin Mack is coming along "a little bit" after hitting a wall during the season.
- Ben Victor hit a wall in training camp, but since then "he's been flourishing."
On Wisconsin:
- "It's a culture at Wisconsin."
- "Offense, defense, they're very good."
- Wisconsin fans brought a night game atmosphere to a day game in 2012.
- "We're going to try to spread [their defense] out a little bit."
- "The jet sweep was very effective against That Team Up North," but this year they don't have Melvin Gordon out there. "Amazing how systematically [their offense has stayed the same throughout coaching changes]."
Rich in Baltimore: Does a forecast of wind and rain in the second half alter the game plan?
- "Those are things as it gets closer, I'll keep in mind."
- "If we're going to be very limited in the second half, then we're going to try to do some things in the first half. We've done that before."
Dylan in Columbus: As 19-0 in true road games, what do you do differently to get them ready?
- "It's a heckuva challenge when you go on the road. ... It brings a rather close team together because only 70 people go."
- "I'd much rather play at home, but there's some intrigue to going on the road."
- Won't take his players into the stadium Friday night. "Let them relax and enjoy themselves."
On Demario McCall:
- "He's going to be a good player here, but he's still a little light as far as pass protection."
- Is he up to 190? "I'm not sure... he's still a little ways away."
Nick in Columbus: How much analytics goes into game planning?
- "From what I hear, it's all over the National Football League."
- On fourth down, it depends on the game, where they're at, and the mentality of their players. The latter part especially can't be revealed in analytics.
- If Ed Warinner and the players want to go, Meyer "doesn't care what the analytics say."
On Dre'Mont Jones and Robert Landers:
- Jones: "One of the most talented guys on the team."
- Landers: "How about him going against 6-8, 315 this week? He's a quick twitch guy, though, so he'll play."
On the 2014 Big Ten championship:
- "Was that 14 or 15 years ago?" Meyer joked.
- His team watched the film, as it offered some similarities but different personnel than this year's team.
- "The deep ball early softened them up," which might be something to keep in mind this year.
On what Meyer watches that the average fan doesn't:
- "This game is about toughness, camaraderie. It's about players that have that look in their eye," which you can't get from up in the booth.
- Meyer noted he's only been in the box for two years during his career.
- "Could you imagine putting [Kerry] Coombs up there? He'd be dangling [from the coaches' box]."
Nate in Westerville: What steps have you taken to prepare for Wisconsin's defense?
- "Steps? Just doing what we do."
- They put the film in on Sunday and see the defense they'll be facing.
- "Thursday is a big day for us. We need to have a shined up practice today."
