In his longest and perhaps his most talkative press conference of the season to date, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer had plenty of praise to go around for his team's performance against Penn State.
Meyer spent more than three minutes at the start of the press conference going through the team's list of top performers from Saturday and giving details about why some of them graded out (or not) as champions.
While J.T. Barrett, Ohio State's top four defensive ends and Denzel Ward were named as players of the game, Meyer named a multitude of other players as champions.
Austin Mack, Johnnie Dixon, K.J. Hill, Terry McLaurin, J.K. Dobbins, Jamarco Jones, Michael Jordan, Billy Price, Demetrius Knox, Isaiah Prince and Marcus Baugh were named champions on offense.
Dre'Mont Jones, Robert Landers, Tracy Sprinkle, Chris Worley, Dante Booker, Jerome Baker and Jordan Fuller were named champions on defense. Damon Webb got an honorable mention; he would have graded an interception if his interception in the end zone had counted. Ward, Damon Arnette and Kendall Sheffield were also honorable mentions.
In addition to Ward as special teams player of the game, K.J. Hill and Zach Turnure also received special recognition for special teams play.
Among the many players he praised, Meyer said Barrett had "one of the greatest games in college football history."
Here's what else you need to know from Meyer's meeting with the media:
- Bosa had seven quarterback hurries on Saturday, according to the coaches' grading.
- Hill graded out at 92 percent.
- Worley graded out at 93 percent.
- Hubbard graded out at 93 percent.
- In wake of Dobbins seeing limited playing time in second quarter and fourth quarter on Saturday, Meyer said he trusts both Dobbins and Mike Weber at running back. Doesn't micromanage their playing time.
- On kickoff coverage: "It's a joke right now." Meyer said the Buckeyes had a meeting on Monday morning to try to figure out their issues in that phase of the game.
- Meyer said Ohio State's kickers are not consistently capable of kicking the ball through the end zone.
- Parris Campbell is questionable for this week's game. "Got dinged" while blocking for K.J. Hill on the Buckeyes' second kickoff return on Saturday. Meyer does not know what his specific injury is.
- Meyer said he has not discussed a potential Heisman Trophy campaign with Barrett. Focusing on the next game.
- "If you control the line of scrimmage, good things usually happen in the run game, and that's what happened."
- Offensive coordinators Kevin Wilson and Ryan Day are "fitting really well" with what Ohio State wants to do on offense and its personnel.
- "Elite warriors are trained to celebrate for 24 hours," then they come back and get ready for the next mission, Meyer said of his team moving forward from the Penn State game.
- On trailing against Penn State: "Last year's team would have dropped their head." This year's team is more mature and able to overcome that situation.
- On Isaiah Prince: "He's unbelievable right now." Had his best week of practice last week. "He's a grown man handling his business as the right tackle at Ohio State like he should."
- Meyer reiterates that there will be conversations in offseason about capping number of road night games teams have to play, but does he think his comments had any effect on the Iowa game kicking off at 3:30? "I don't know."
- On Ward's blocked punt: "The guy who blocked it can run like the speed of sound." Also said Damon Arnette had as much to do with the blocked punt because of how he did his job.
- Meyer did not want to comment on the situation at Florida, where he formerly coached, after parting ways with Jim McElwain.
- On Iowa: "This will be as good of a defensive line as we've faced."
- On Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz: "He's as consistent, tough as you can get."
- Meyer and Johnnie Dixon, who scored two touchdowns on Saturday, had a phone conversation with Dixon's high school coach before Monday's press conference.
- Ohio State still has tickets available for its two remaining home games against Michigan State and Illinois.
Check back with Eleven Warriors this afternoon for further coverage from Monday's press conference.
