Urban Meyer talks Minnesota in his weekly press conference

Halfway through the regular season, the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes have taken care of business, and some times in spectacular fashion. On Saturday, OSU became bowl eligible thanks to a 49-26 victory over the always pesky Indiana Hoosiers. In the game, Dwayne Haskins had one of the most impressive performances by a quarterback in the storied history of Ohio State football.

On Monday, head coach Urban Meyer talked about his quarterback, the issues that the first six games have unearthed, and more in his weekly press conference. It was also announced that the game against Purdue on Oct. 20 will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET, and will be broadcast on ABC.

You can watch Meyer’s press conference here, or check below for all of the notes:

Champions of the Game

Offense: Parris Campbell, Johnnie Dixon, K.J. Hill, Austin Mack, Terry McLaurin, Binjimen Victor, Rashod Berry, Luke Farrell
Player of the Game: Dwayne Haskins

Defense: Jonathon Cooper, Davon Hamilton, Dre’Mont Jones, Pete Werner, Jordan Fuller
Player of the Game: Tuf Borland

Meyer said that they did not select any Special Teams champions, not because they didn’t play well, but they just didn’t have many opportunities thanks to only two punts, no kick returns, and no field goal attempts.

Indiana Recap

• Meyer said that the defense played better in the second half, and the coaches will try to build on those positives.

Minnesota Preview

• Meyer said that “the best part of being 6-0 is the chance to go 7-0.”
• He said that Minnesota’s defense is “outstanding.” He praised the Gophers’ pass rush as well.

Injury Update

• Meyer said that offensive lineman Branden Bowen is close to returning to the lineup.
• He added that Jonathon Cooper and Malik Harrison are “much better today,” and that they will evaluate throughout the week.

Evaluating his Team

• The head coach admitted that there have been discussions about getting Tate Martell in the game on short yardage plays.
• “The weakness of our team is balance on offense and obviously pass defense,” Meyer said.
• Meyer said that the headache issue that he dealt with during the game on Saturday is related to the cyst that he’s previously had surgery for. Generally all it takes is for him to take some medicine, and he’s fine.
• He said that he has not thought about having further surgery.
• In talking about the team’s press coverage philosophy, he said that he thinks that they have excellent corners, but the technique they employ is very difficult to master. However, when they can get to that point, it is the ideal defense.
• The head coach admitted that without the threat of a dual-threat quarterback, he might be just as comfortable in third-and-7 as he is in third-and-1. “Third-and-1 is tough right now.”

The No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes are back in action this Saturday at noon ET against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The game will be televised on FS1.