The questions came flying from all angles Wednesday evening at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
Urban Meyer stood at the podium and answered as he usually does. Only this time, when Meyer was proposed with a question about a potential offensive breakout game this weekend, Ohio State’s head coach did something he normally doesn’t.
He smiled.
“I’m ready if you are,” he said with a wide grin.
Meyer has been in a rather good mood all week. That’s far from usual, especially when there is a big-time matchup awaiting his Ohio State team on Saturday. That’s exactly the case this week as 10th-ranked Nebraska comes to town, but despite that, Meyer has been strangely upbeat in his meetings with the media.
Perhaps it’s because Meyer decided to take a different approach this time week, shifting from his usual intense self in front of reporters to a more laid back version. Perhaps Meyer has just been in a good mood.
Or maybe he knows something. It's possible Meyer feels a breakout game coming from his offense.
“Unfortunately,” he said, “we’re playing a very good defense.”
The Buckeyes’ struggles offensively over the last four games have been well-documented. Ohio State simply isn’t scoring points and racking up yards like it did over the first month of the season.
The increased level of competition — Indiana, Wisconsin, Penn State and Northwestern are much better opponents than Bowling Green, Tulsa, Oklahoma and Rutgers — certainly has a lot to do with that, but something just hasn’t quite looked right with Ohio State, too.
“I’m seeing improvement,” Meyer said. “We’re just not as explosive maybe as we have been.”
The Buckeyes still rank first in the Big Ten in total offense (492.9 yards per game) and second in scoring offense (42.6 points per game), but Ohio State hasn’t reached either of those averages since a 58-0 win over Rutgers back on Oct. 1.
It hasn’t been one specific area that’s troubled the Buckeyes, either. At times, the passing game looked out of sync whether it was due to errant quarterback play or wide receivers not getting open. The offensive line had been playing well but fell apart in Ohio State’s loss to Penn State. The play calling has been questionable at times.
There are a number of minor issues that, when added up, created a bit of inconsistency. And, as a result, there is a bit of angst among the fan base.
“I don’t think you want to be content at all as far as the way we play,” quarterback J.T. Barrett said. “We always want to progress and get better, but I think it’s at a good spot.”
Still, Meyer and some of his players feel the team isn’t too far off from exploding. But if Ohio State is going to make that happen, it’s going to be against a pretty strong Nebraska defense.
The Huskers rank fourth in the Big Ten and are 15th nationally in scoring defense as they enter Saturday’s game allowing just 18.4 points per game. They don’t give up a ton of yards, either, as they rank in the top-20 nationally in total defense at 342.1 yards allowed per game.
“There’s a lot of athleticism on that side of the ball. They’ve got some playmakers over there,” redshirt junior offensive lineman Billy Price said. “I know their safety, for one, he’s a very talented guy which we see on film. Their D-Line is very athletic, their linebackers fly around pretty well and they play well on the outside.”
Ohio State has its hands full, no doubt, with the Huskers. Meyer, his staff and his players know that. But despite some criticism in recent weeks in regards to the Buckeyes’ offense, Meyer, his staff and players feel relatively confident an outbreak could be on the horizon.
“I do see it coming,” Meyer said.
The only question that remains: Will it be this weekend?
