Where can you get more than 100,000 people to show up for a college football practice?
Apparently in Columbus, Ohio.
That's what happened Saturday, much to the delight of Urban Meyer, his Buckeye football team and the university as a whole. An announced 100,189 showed up to see the Gray team best the Scarlet 28-17, a new national record and the first spring game ever to top six figures in attendance.
"I'm extremely grateful to Ohio State, Buckeye Nation for doing that today," Meyer said after. "That was awesome."
The school pushed for the number all week and eventually got its wish. Meyer wanted such a big crowd on hand to put pressure on the youth that occupies more than half his roster — 45 scholarship players have four years of eligibility remaining — but made his message clear once the dust settled on a glorious weather day at Ohio Stadium.
"You have to pick up the pieces of what left the program. The message was very clear to our team, and if you're going to play quarterback at Ohio State, you need to be a Heisman candidate. So I don't need phone calls -- "Well, my son should be able to play" --
"No, no. If you play quarterback at Ohio State in this offense, you have to be a Heisman candidate, or we're going to suffer. You have to be a high draft pick to play defensive end. We're not embarrassed. We're not ashamed to say that's what has to happen. If you play receiver at Ohio State, you have to start in the National Football League. That's what happened the last -- from Bubba Caldwell at Florida to some of the great receivers we had there to carrying on with Philly Brown, Devin Smith and continued with Mike Thomas, who is going to leave us, and same thing with tight end, Marcus Baugh. You're following Jeff Heuerman and Nick Vannett. You have to be an NFL tight end."
Almost all the pieces that served as bookends for the program's first national title under Meyer in 2014 is gone to the NFL or elsewhere. The talent surplus sits untapped as Ohio State continues to bring highly ranked recruiting classes to Columbus. The expectations don't change, even if the roster holds a wide range of new faces.
"So we're not going to change our standards, and that was a message all week to our players. We certainly don't lower our stands just because a player moves on; that's not what this place is all about. That's what I liked best is the fact I saw some guys perform."
"Some guys" included quarterback Joe Burrow, who tossed three touchdown passes to lead the Gray to a win. Antonio Williams and Mike Weber did the majority of the work at running back, but wide receivers Parris Campbell, Johnnie Dixon, Torrance Gibson, Austin Mack and Terry McLaurin held Meyer's attention.
"Parris Campbell had to make that catch at the end of the game. It was a great catch. I watched the whole thing. You do that in practice, it's not that big of a deal. He has to do that in game, and I saw him do it, so there's a bunch of really good things."
Campbell's 55-yard reception came on the last drive of the game from Stephen Collier and led to 106 yards receiving for the redshirt sophomore. McLaurin racked up 111 of his own and a touchdown, and Gibson hauled in a pretty ball from Burrow in the corner of the end zone to help Gray build a first half lead.
"We’ve been good buddies since the beginning," Burrow said of Gibson. "We worked hard together, we competed for a couple weeks in camp. He got moved to receiver because that’s his talent, and we started working to get good chemistry with him at receiver and we’re going to keep working hard."
Gibson dealt with immaturity in 2015 and left the team briefly, only to come back with his mindset fully at wide receiver after being a top flight recruit at quarterback. He unsuccessfully attempted a throw back pass to Burrow in the game, but showed his pure talent and size on numerous other occasions.
"He's a freak," Meyer said of Gibson. "But he's gotta go get the ball. He's 6-4, whatever he is, and he's got a 35-inch vertical jump, and we're going to teach him how to use that thing. He's a very good young man; he's trying really hard. His position was switched; he was a quarterback in high school."
Meyer's deepest concern this spring was the interior defensive line, where guys like Mike Hill, Jashon Cornell, Tracy Sprinkle, and Dre'Mont Jones must step up and produce for departed stalwarts Adolphus Washington, Tommy Schutt and Joey Bosa.
"There's a lot of pressure on Coach Johnson and that unit. When we won the national championship the defensive line played as well as any team in America, and a good chunk of those guys are gone. I think they're talented, very eager, we have an excellent D-line coach, and the good thing, they're allowed to spend time with our players now in the summer."
Pressure comes with the territory at Ohio State, as does more than 100,000 fans showing up for a scripted scrimmage.
"Woo! That's crazy," J.T. Barrett said. "I appreciate our fanbase. I mean, how many people come to watch a practice? A very basic practice at that. No, it just shows the love we get from our fans, the best fans in the land. I know as an Ohio State football player you definitely appreciate that."
The fans appreciated what Barrett did with a young offense that was down two starters on the offensive line in Billy Price and Pat Elflein, sitting out to not risk injury. The crowd's biggest roar of the day came on Jerome Baker's spectacular one-handed interception of Burrow in the red zone, a play linebacker Dante Booker wasn't all that shocked to see.
"I actually wasn't too surprised. I've seen him do it before. He did it one time in practice. He's just an athlete. Just another day at the office."
That may be the case, but in a transitional year from a group of seniors that won 50 games to a roster littered with new players, Saturday was important.
"It was a benefit to us that we had all the people at the game so we got to see how people perform in front of that many people," Barrett said. "I think it showed a lot for a lot of guys."
"I loved seeing our former players come back with big smiles on their face and I said to them, "Look around at what you are a part of building here," not just building but being a part of this exceptional place," Meyer added. "One hundred thousand came to watch practice. Pretty cool."
Cardale Jones, Mike Thomas, Eli Apple, Jalin Marshall and many others were on hand to see their former teammates compete. Jones even battled Barrett in a passing competition to the delight of a fanbase that is always thirsting for football.
And one that helped Meyer see what he wanted to see on Saturday, the final team practice before camp opens in August in hopes of getting his program back to the zenith of the sport.
"They're young. We won't win a lot of games right now, but we don't have to yet, but very pleased with where we're at right now."
