FOX Sports 1's First Things First, featuring Cris Carter, is in Columbus this weekend ahead of the biggest college football game in the country.
Urban Meyer joined the set, just steps from the Horseshoe, Friday morning to preview his team's matchup with No. 2 Penn State.
The full video can be seen above.
Some highlights:
Meyer said last year against Michigan in overtime was the loudest he's ever heard the Shoe. He wants fans to top that environment tomorrow.
For people who say [home field advantage] doesn't exist, they're wrong. There's probably a dozen schools in the country that it is an absolute advantage and [the Horseshoe] is one of them.
Can't wait for our tenth unit to help us win a game. Last year against the team up north in overtime, that's the loudest I heard that stadium. I'm hoping we top that tomorrow.
Meyer masterfully spun a question about how they'll defend Saquon Barkley as a receiver into a recruiting pitch for Ohio State:
That's what creates a dilemma for defensive coordinators, a guy, the hybrid athlete and why there's so few of them. We're searching the country, recruiting, a hybrid athlete we're coming after you. The tight end/receiver, tailback/receiver.
On J.T. Barrett's toughness:
When your team comes together they're looking at you expecting an answer and you better be competent, you better be real and tough or your team is not very good.
There's no greater example in the NFL, the best NFL teams got the toughest
quarterbacks.The best college football teams have the toughest quarterbacks. Not necessarily the best throwers, best runners, et cetera. But they're tough and and they lead. That's back in our era and well when we're done. It's always going to be the quarterback driving the football team.
On concerns Barrett played earlier in the season to prove his critics wrong:
You can say, 'Disregard the media.' You can say, 'Disregard the fans,' and all that, but you're not. You're going to hear them. We're all human and have a little bit of that.
He's at the point in his career where I believe he has to tune in everything out and execute the offense the way they're asking me to execute. And I think he's at that point in his career like I said, that there's no doubt in my mind he's doing that. Disregarding everything and I see the focus and I see getting ready to play.
Sounds like trouble for Penn State, if true.
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