UNLV will enter Ohio Stadium on Saturday at noon as 40-point underdogs. For Urban Meyer, his team will look to earn a win for the second time in as many weeks after suffering a devastating Week 2 loss to Oklahoma.
Tuesday, Meyer joined the Big Ten Coaches Teleconference to review the win over Army and preview UNLV.
Notes:
- On offensive progress vs. Army: "No disrespect to Army, but they were a different group than we faced the week before [Oklahoma]. ... We were balanced and efficient, and that's what we want."
- Quarterback Joe Burrow was cleared last week but they didn't feel comfortable to play him.
- Backup spot is still undecided "We feel they both can move the ball."
- Defensive end Jalyn Holmes "is an instrumental part of our team. ... Everyone respects him." Noted there is still room to build on his talent. "When he changes a game, it's something special."
- Linebacker Dante Booker is dealing with a sore shoulder, which is why he only played six snaps against Army.
- "We need to see marked improvements from the secondary." Said they've been working on everything from tighter man coverage to finishing off quarterbacks (noted Baker Mayfield escaped nine times) to negate things offenses are doing to stymie the pass rush.
- Wide receiver Johnnie Dixon did not play Saturday due to a sore hamstring. Meyer doesn't believe it to be a long-term issue.
Other coaching highlights:
Chris Ash (Rugers)
- On 65-0 win against Morgan State: "Sometimes those situations can get out of hand."
- Lauded running back Raheem Blackshear's performance, saying despite talent gap he still looks for players to play the right way.
Jim Harbaugh (Michigan)
As always, Harbaugh went straight to questions and was in no mood to answer them.
- On Brady Hoke-recruited players helping start the foundation of his program: "Very important."
- Is college football a better product than the NFL? "I don't know that to be true."
- On relationship with new Purdue coach Jeff Brohmn: "Crossed paths once at the B1G coaches conference." Noted his son was "a true coach's son" that "had a nice, short haircut."
- Harbaugh won't be able to visit Fair Oaks Farms, where he delivered a calf this summer, during visit to Indiana. Lamented it but noted "I do love Fair Oaks Farms."
- Michigan will watch Western Kentucky tape to prepare for trick plays from Purdue.
- On how he critiques players after bad performance: "I'd be happy to have this conversation when you don't have something specific in mind."
Paul Chryst (Wisconsin)
- "Excited to get through this bye week and start Big Ten season [next week vs. Northwestern]."
- If Chryst could change any NCAA bylaw, what would he choose? "I don't know. I don't know. ... Pass."
- On quarterbacks Alex Hornibrook's performance in 40-6 win over BYU: "He was confident with the guys. I don't think that it was all of a sudden something has happened or he's arrived. He has been capable of that."
- On how he critiques players after bad performances: "You always want to be coaching, and to do that is to help them grow. ... I do believe that kids go out there and want to do their best. ... When something negative happens, there's a sting involved. You have to know the individual."
Mike Riley (Nebraska)
- On what NCAA rule he'd change if he could: "I would push for moving the umpire. ... The umpire enters too much into the football game."
- What must he do to beat Rutgers? "We must handle their [defensive] front. We must both protect and run the football."
- On handling 21-17 loss to Northern Illinois: "We have to wear that game. We're responsible for it. We certainly have to do better. All those things are absolutely real, and we all know it."
- "We had a vision of being a good run, play-action team, and being balanced in that way. Our big issues are running and protecting the quarterback. So we failed in both of those things."
Mark Dantonio (Michigan State)
- "Everything is a big game for us right now," including Notre Dame.
- "Not playing them for ten years gets thrown out the door a little bit. We play big games every week."
- "We've got three very good tailbacks. Those guys can pull a load."
Kirk Ferentz (Iowa)
- On first night game win vs. Illinois in '99: "Night games are always special."
- Why is Iowa tough to play at Kinnick at night? "I'm not sure I could give you an answer. Maybe with our guys it brings out the high school in them."
- On critiquing players after bad performances: "I try to make that private."
- On what NCAA rule he'd change: "We have to put a lid on staff sizes."
P.J. Fleck (Minnesota)
- On being 3-0: "We don't talk about the winning part. We talk about how we got there. ... How can we make ourselves stronger and our weaknesses our strength?"
- Fleck has done the same things when he was 0-11 as when he went 13-0. "A result will never take me away from what I'm trying to do."
- On the defense: "Robb Smith is one of the best defensive coordinators in the country. ... He's an elite teacher. It's not just the defense, it's how he teaches the defense. ... It's a very opportunistic defense, and we swarm to the football."
Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern)
- Very confident in the future of football. "We can make it safe, not just safer." Said they've taken a lot of dirty hits out of the game, especially on quarterbacks.
Love Smith (Illinois)
- On 2-1 record: "Some good and some bad."
- "Bad taste in our mouth about the last game." (A 47-23 loss to South Florida.)
- "This bye week came at the perfect time for us."
D.J. Durkin (Maryland)
- No questions for Durkin ahead of Saturday's game with Central Florida.
Jeff Brohm (Purdue)
- "We're excited to get back on our home turf against a great opponent like Michigan. ... Our players are looking forward to the great challenge in front of us."
- "Hopeful our fans come out... We're going to need it."
- On the fast-turn around: "The main thing is it does show what you can accomplish if you play extremely hard and showcase on the field that you want to win."
- "We've tried to clean up the small things so we're not beating ourselves."
- "While we have done good we have a long way to go. ... We understand we're going to get hit in the mouth a couple times."
James Franklin (Penn State)
- "Iowa is going to be hard-nosed [next week]."
- On Saquon Barkley having so much receiving success: "The biggest thing is we have got to do a better job at blocking between the tackles. The other part is we knew going into the season we were going to have to figure out multiple ways of getting him the ball."
- On how to beat Iowa: "From the beginning of time, football has been about who wins up front."
