"Just OK."
That phrase is one muttered often by Urban Meyer as his team trudges through its spring drills in preparation for the annual spring game Saturday at Ohio Stadium.
Over the past month and change, Meyer dubbed everything from the defensive line's development, to true freshman Michael Jordan and Evan Lisle's growth and even backup quarterback Joe Burrow's performance during a scrimmage "OK."
Not great. Not bad. "Just OK."
Monday, he used those two letters again to describe Tim Beck's coaching performance at Ohio State in 2015. He then noted how the entire offensive staff must do more in 2016 than it did a year ago when the Buckeyes finished 41st in the country with 434.1 yards per game (11th rushing with 245.2 yards per game, 110th passing at just 188.8 yards per game).
"He took over for a very valuable guy and I just expect more out of him and our offensive staff in general," Meyer said of Beck. "I think we have to do a better job than we did a year ago.
"I see it happening this spring."
Beck does too, and knows he needs to raise the level of his performance as compared to 2015, his first shot at stepping in for former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach and current Houston head coach Tom Herman. Criticism fell upon his shoulders after Ohio State lost to Michigan State 17-14 in November, when Barrett finished 9-of-16 passing for 46 yards and a touchdown. The offense managed just 132 total yards that day.
“I watch it, I actually watch the film with the quarterbacks, receivers and tight ends in this room because they're so young and saying where the ball should be. I noticed in the last week it's been much better.”– Urban Meyer
Ed Warinner coached from the press box the final two games of the season against Michigan and Notre Dame. Ohio State's offense averaged 489 yards (327 rushing) of total offense and 43 points in those contests, leading to more ire toward Beck from fans.
"You ask yourself, ‘Did I prepare our guys well enough to go out and beat those guys?’ Probably not," Beck said last week of the Michigan State loss. "Obviously, we didn’t beat them. I always start pointing the finger on me."
Warinner will remain in the box alongside Beck this fall to assist with play calling. The move looks good on paper, but the passing game must improve since 2015 Silver Football winner and running back Ezekiel Elliott is on to the NFL.
"Last year when we had some veteran players, they knew it. This group, you almost had to go back to square one and re-teach some of the things," Beck said. "Boy, it’s been, the techniques and fundamentals have been really good. I’ve been really pleased at what I’ve seen in that. I think that’s where it starts. When you start executing the little things, the big things obviously end up following."
The positive words could seem misconstrued considering Ohio State's four best options on the outside are not 100 percent this spring due to injuries, Curtis Samuel, Noah Brown, Corey Smith and Dontre Wilson. But Meyer and Beck instruct Barrett to act like they are anyway to advance his evolution as a quarterback.
"What happens when you play with receivers that don't know what they're doing is that, we call it one bad rep is worth 100 good ones," Meyer said. "If your body sees you have a bad rep because your receiver is too slow, he's not where he is supposed to be, you need 100 good reps to get your mind and body together so that happens in a game. So we're having him, even if it's a bad receiver, throw the ball where you would throw it."
The offense struggled in the scrimmage portion of the student appreciation practice April 2, Barrett included. He had passes tipped and fall incomplete either off the hands of receivers or because they didn't snap off a route correctly.
It's a transitional spring for the entire program from the senior class that left with 50 wins in four years and the bulk of NFL talent no longer roaming the halls at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. Since that practice, however, Meyer said he's seen the passing game take steps in the right direction.
"I watch it, I actually watch the film with the quarterbacks, receivers and tight ends in this room because they're so young and saying where the ball should be," Meyer said. "I noticed in the last week it's been much better."
Michael Thomas, Braxton Miller, Nick Vannett, Jalin Marshall and Elliott are all gone. Samuel, Smith, Wilson and Brown are not full go. It can be tough sledding for Barrett, but he too feels like the unit is in a good place.
"We're at a spot where we can grow. We're not complacent at all, I don't think that's our mindset," Barrett said recently. "We've got young guys getting reps and making sure that they're going to be able to help us out."
Barrett added the summer being a key time for the wide receivers to develop their games on a personal level, which leads to bigger things when camp rolls around in August. It allows him to remain patient while he works with young receivers.
"I think also too that working with the young guys they'll get the game reps that they need and that just helps me in order to get the ball out faster, anticipate things better being that there's younger guys and they have to work a little bit harder on things as far as receivers go," Barrett said.
It might be ugly now, but the key people involved with running Ohio State's offense feel it is heading in the right direction to be better than "just OK."
"I love this team," Beck said. "There’s a hunger, there’s a lot of guys that are out to prove that they can be good players here. To develop our passing game, I’ve been pleased where we’re at right now. I think our accuracy, our understanding of it is improving."
