Urban Meyer is officially back from his three-game suspension, which means he's also back on the radio waves for his weekly radio show.
Meyer was joined by running backs coach Tony Alford and between the two, they addressed Dwayne Haskins' first three games, struggles in the secondary, Ohio State's massive offensive line, TCU's aggressive defense, and Nick Bosa's injury status.
Here are some of the highlights from both coaches.
Urban Meyer
On the team's performance in his absence
- "It was so much resiliency."
- "I knew when we hired him he was elite, and the record shows for itself – 3-0," Meyer said of Ryan Day.
- Meyer praised the coaches, the players and the fans for their strength while he was serving his suspension.
On special teams play
- "You want to play on a tilted field."
- 13 of their drives started inside their own 25, and 19 were in their own 20.
- Called KaVontae Turpin the best there was, but praised his special teams for allowing just 56 yards on three kickoffs and 0 punt return yards.
On Dwayne Haskins
- Noticed when he was elite watched one of his high school workouts: "That's one of the best quarterback workouts I've ever watched."
- "Talent is just a small part of it," but Dwayne Haskins has the intangibles too.
Coffee with the coach question from Sarah in Waterville
- "We don't have the depth, but we're big."
- Praised Michael Jordan's move to center.
- "Through the first three games, very strong."
- Urban Meyer said he thinks it's the biggest offensive line he's ever had.
On Nick Bosa's injury
- "We hope to get him back as soon as possible."
- Notes he had a core muscle injury and had surgery on Wednesday.
- Meyer mentioned Tyreke Smith and Tyler Friday who could step up in Bosa's absence.
On Tuf Borland
- "His value to the team is immense."
- "He's a leader, he's a tough guy."
- "He really does not understand pain – that's how tough he is."
On the secondary
- "Still not where we need to be."
- Jordan Fuller is an "exceptional player," but the other safety spot needs to improve.
- The three corners – Kendall Sheffield, Damon Arnette and Jeffrey Okudah – are playing well, but they still expect more.
On preparing to face an up-tempo offense
- "It's hard to prepare for that."
- Said it's hard to practice in the heat, and it's been "ridiculous hot."
- "If I could make a phone call and order some clouds for an hour and a half, I would."
- Said sometimes when it's hot, he tries to get them off the field sooner.
On Tate Martell's playing time
- "It was just a hard one to get him in last week with the other guy playing so hard."
- "We'd like to get him in this week early."
On Mike Weber and J.K. Dobbins splitting carries
- "I watch the chemistry of it, and I see two good dudes that care about each other."
- Meyer said sometimes the carries just go to the hot hand, but they understand.
- "We need them both, and they're both very good."
- "That's a rugged position."
Call in question from Andre: What do you think of the linebackers?
- "We're playing okay, but we need to play better."
- Meyer said they need to work on giving up big plays.
On TCU's trick kickoff play
- Meyer said TCU actually showed that play in their bowl game.
- Said Ryan Day heard somebody yell, "there's a man down in the end zone!" and misinterpreted, thinking somebody got shot.
- "We're going to practice that every day," Meyer joked, after it was nearly effective.
Tony Alford
On the TCU aggressive defense
- "It was an excellent defense, very well coached."
- "They did some things in some of their blitz patters that they hadn't shown"
- "We let the quarterback get hit a few too many times."
- The defense can't "junk it up" as much when you go uptempo.
On the offensive line
- "Without a doubt" the biggest line he's ever been around.
- "Not only are they big, they're athletic. And they are huge."
- "They've done a great job."
On Michael Jordan
- "Every time you do it, it gets a little more comfortable for him."
- Said it was an unselfish move from Jordan.
- "It's allowed us to put our best players on the field and speaks to the culture of the locker room."
Has the tempo been faster?
- "We are playing uptempo, it is faster than it's been since I've been here."
- But he said it helps that they have great players.
On J.K. Dobbins' game
- "I think this was probably the best game he's played as a Buckeye."
- Dobbins thinks his best game is against Wisconsin because that's where he had the most yards, but Alford said he had a ton of wide open runs in that game. "I mean hell, I could have run through some of those holes."
- "He had to work for every yard" against TCU.
- "He just keeps getting better and better."
- "He wants to be great. He really wants to excel and be one of the best ever."
On Mike Weber and J.K. Dobbins
- "Really, what they're doing is they're pushing each other."
- "They get along great, they're roommates on the road."
- "When one of them scores a touchdown, the first one to congratulate them is the other."
- "I'm really just blessed to sit back and watch it all."
How are the running backs blocking?
- "I think pretty well."
- They missed two blitz pickups that sent me through the roof
- They do a nice job. I'm pretty pleased with where they are right now.
- He said that's absolutely the hardest thing for a young running back and it usually takes them about a year.
- "It's a learned trait, but it's something you need to learn to do to be successful."
On Master Teague and Brian Snead
- "Both of those guys have bright futures here."
- Said they both need to learn to take care of themselves off the field, in terms of academics, taking care of their bodies, eating right, etc.
- "The good thing is, they're not forced to play. They're not forced to be at the top of the shelf."
On the running backs pass-catching ability
- "I don't think we've dropped any."
- "It's been pretty good, so the next time we drop one, it's on you."
- "If you have a complete understanding as to why you're doing it, you're going to do it really well."
- Alford said he wants the players to understand why they do what they're doing in the offense.
On going against the Buckeye defense in practice
- "You think about the players we play every day..."
- "We're playing against the best players we could play in the country."
- "You better bring your A-game to practice every day."
