Just more than a couple hours after finding out that their teams would be concluding their season by playing one another in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 29, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer and USC coach Clay Helton spent time speaking with the media during the Cotton Bowl coaches' teleconference late Sunday afternoon.
Given that Meyer had already held a press conference in Columbus earlier Sunday afternoon, most of the questions during Sunday's teleconference were directed toward Helton, who said the Trojans are "very excited" about playing in the Cotton Bowl and that he personally is excited about coaching against Ohio State and Meyer, who he holds in high regard.
"To have the opportunity to be on the same field as Coach Meyer, it's one of those things you dream about when you grow up and you're a young football coach," said Helton, who is in his second year as USC's head coach and said he has tried to emulate Meyer in his own coaching career. "The guy's a legend."
Here's what else you need to know from Helton's appearance on the teleconference:
- Helton took time to congratulate Ohio State on its season in his opening statement. "They've had a terrific season ... you can see how well-coached and how talented they are."
- Helton, a quarterback coach by trade, is a "huge fan of J.T. Barrett" and is looking forward to the quarterback matchup between Barrett and USC's Sam Darnold.
- On Ohio State: "They're a very well-coached football team."
- Helton said he has had opportunities to watch Ohio State play throughout the season because his team often plays evening games on the West Coast. "Ohio State is one of those teams that you turn on each and every time you get the opportunity ... They were a very fun team to watch this year, and it was neat to follow them as we went through the season."
- Helton said this game is "not too hard to get fired up for. It's USC vs. Ohio State. That alone is going to excite your football team. These are two programs that got a lot of pride, and want to do well for their fan bases. And to have that opportunity to compete against a great football team, a Big Ten championship football team, I don't how much more exciting you can get than that."
- On Ohio State's offense: "The balance jumps out at you right at first." Praised Ohio State running backs J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber in addition to Barrett. "They're very, very hard to defend ... It's a group that makes you defend every inch of the grass on the field."
While Meyer didn't cover much ground that he hadn't already covered in his earlier Sunday press conference, he did note in his opening statement that he had been Ohio State's coaching staff in 1987, when the Buckeyes made their only previous appearance in the Cotton Bowl, playing Texas A&M.
Meyer, who grew up as an Ohio State fan, also spoke about his high regard for USC as a program and said his first memories of watching the Buckeyes and Trojans play was watching the Rose Bowl at the end of Earle Bruce's first season at Ohio State in 1979.
Other notes from Meyer's appearance on the teleconference:
- On USC: "I love that stadium. I love the tradition. That's always been one of my favorite places. You hear the fight song, and etc. So a lot of respect for USC, and definitely this game."
- What is it like for Meyer to be described as a "legend" by Helton? "It just means I've been around for awhile."
- Meyer said he has had opportunities to meet Helton on Nike-sponsored trips and has "great respect for him as a coach."
