Urban Meyer recaps Ohio State’s victory over Army, looks ahead to UNLV

Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer took to the podium on Monday with much more to be happy about than the previous week. After a 38-7 victory over Army

Following the disappointing effort against Oklahoma, senior quarterback J.T. Barrett rebounded going 25 for 33, with 270 yards and two passing touchdowns. He also picked up one rushing TD. True-freshman running back J.K. Dobbins had a monster game rushing for 172 yards and two TDs on just 13 carries, for an average of 13.2 yards per rush. The effort earned him his second Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor in his three career games.

The collected offensive effort was the most efficient for the Buckeyes since 2014. On the other side of the ball, coordinator Greg Schiano’s defense gave up one 99-yard touchdown drive, but otherwise, held the prolific running attack to just 179 yards.

Army Recap

Offensive Champions: J.T. Barrett, J.K. Dobbins, K.J. Hill, Austin Mack, Parris Campbell, Marcus Baugh, Billy Price, Branden Bowen, Isaiah Prince, Michael Jordan
Offensive Player of the Game: Jamarco Jones and Terry McLaurin

Defensive Champions: Nick Bosa, Sam Hubbard, Dre’Mont Jones, Tracy Spinkle, Jerome Baker, Denzel Ward, Kendall Sheffield, Damon Arnette, Erick Smith, Damon Webb
Defensive Player of the Game: Tuf Borland

Special Teams Champions: Denzel Ward, Amir Riep, Jeffrey Okudah, Parris Campbell, Justin Hilliard
Special Teams Player of the Game: Keandre Jones

• After being asked about the QB by Spring Game star Jacob Jarvis, Meyer said that he thought J.T. Barrett handled the game much better than he had against Oklahoma. However, he also added that “the surrounding cast played better, too.”

Injury Updates

• Urban Meyer said that linebacker Chris Worley is currently listed as questionable.
• The coach said that injured QB Joe Burrow is about ready to come back to the field.
• RB Demario McCall is still not 100 percent healthy, and has been dealing with a groin/abdomen injury.

Depth Chart

• Meyer discussing backup quarterback Dwayne Haskins, “I thought he played very well.”
• The coaches are thinking about moving field goal specialist Sean Nuernberger to kick-off duty as well.
• Due to his work on the scout team, Meyer said that he is very excited about the future of Tate Martell because he has grown since he arrived in Columbus.
• Meyer said of Martell, “He’s a guy who’s ripped his chest open and I hope it stays that way.”
• Speaking of sophomore running back, Mike Weber “is not a lost soul around here.” Meyer said that he is not yet 100 percent, and that he will be very valuable when conference play rolls around.
• Meyer also said that he would have had a “hard time crossing the street” for Weber, but that he has grown and completely committed to the program over his time in Columbus.

UNLV Preview

• Meyer said that the defense watched the Oklahoma game film, as they were prepping for Army’s triple-option last week, but are now getting ready to face another spread team in UNLV.
• The coach said that defenses are playing soft zone coverages against them, so the offensive coaches are focusing on stretching the field via bubble screens.
• Meyer said that new H-back Parris Campbell is capable of explosive plays ala Curtis Samuel, and of J.K. Dobbins

Other Notes

• Meyer said that they made changes on offense for the Army game, and that they were still very much a work in progress, and have had meetings as early as Monday morning to continue to address concerns.
• He admitted that they had so many issues that were exposed that need to be addressed. He mentioned OSU’s pass defense and “continued growth on offense” and punt return game has been non-existant, and the kicking game has been disappointing.
• Meyer added that the offense needs to get back to more run-pass option in upcoming games.

Ohio State will take on the UNLV Rebels this Saturday at noon ET. The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.