Urban Meyer admits Ohio State isn’t where he wants them to be, but can get there

Following an impressive road win on Saturday over the No. 18 Michigan State Spartans, Urban Meyer and his Ohio State Buckeyes are turning their attention to their final road test of the season as they go back on the road to take on the Maryland Terrapins on Nov. 17 at noon ET.

Before the Buckeyes head east, though, Meyer addressed the media on Monday morning, and discussed the adjustments that the coaching staff has been making in recent weeks, and how that sets up for the season’s stretch run.

You can watch Urban Meyer’s press conference here and check out the notes below:

Champions of the Game

Offense: Isaiah Prince, Demetrius Knox, Thayer Munford, J.K. Dobbins, Luke Farrell, Dwayne Haskins
Player of the Game: Mike Weber, Terry McLaurin

Defense: Jonathon Cooper, Robert Landers, Tuf Borland, Malik Harrison, Pete Werner, Damon Arnette, Shaun Wade, Jordan Fuller
Player of the Game: Dre’Mont Jones

Special Teams Player of the Game: Drue Chrisman, Terry McLaurin

Michigan State Recap

• Meyer joked that he told McLaurin that in the unlikely event that he has another child, he is going to name him after him.
• After discussing the special team’s effort, the coach highlighted the starting field position for both teams, especially in the second half.
• The coach said that the linebacking unit had one of its best games of the season against MSU.
• In terms of the offensive line, he talked about the fact that the Spartan rush is one of the best in the country, but the line continued to grind throughout.
• He also noted that Weber has worked very hard at absorbing contact and continuing to move forward.
• Meyer said that he doesn’t believe that he has ever had a punter impact a game like Chrisman did on Saturday.

Maryland Preview

• Meyer said that he has already talked to the team about the challenge that the Terps present. He said that they are a very talented team, capable of beating anyone on their schedule.
• When asked about the situation at Maryland involving his former graduate assistant D.J. Durkin, he said his patented “Move on,” response, but did admit that he is very close with Durkin and his family, and has spoken with him.

Injury Update

• Meyer said that Baron Browning is probable for this Saturday.

Evaluating his Team

• Meyer said that he thinks that the offensive line can play better, but there likely won’t be any changes this late in the season. The next player up would be Wyatt Davis, if there would be any changes.
• He said that Michael Jordan is still learning the center position, and he’s been great at times, but he still has room to improve.
• Meyer admitted that some of Jordan’s snaps have become a problem, but he is out there working really hard to fix those problems.
• Noting that Haskins’ passing numbers have declined, Meyer notes that he is still a first-year starting quarterback that has had tremendous development throughout the season, but he is still developing. The coach also notes that as the season moves on, the defense has improved as well. He said that they would love to see him catch fire again, but they are pleased with how he has improved.
• Meyer said that the sense that this team isn’t living up to expectations is partially because of the success of the program in recent years. However, he also admits that he recognizes that the team is not playing great at times, but the game against Michigan State was a tremendous team victory.
• The head coach said that it’s a fine line to walk when trying to get his team to have fun. It’s not something that you can just push a button to instill, but that it’s important.
• Meyer said that he expects Tate Martell to continue to play a role in important times during the game. He says that he’s proven himself in practice, and he is a 5 (presumably out of 5) on the competitive scale.
• He also said that Brendon White has played well, and brought a spark to the defense.
• When asked about Zach Smith’s recent Twitter rants, Meyer said that he just moves on from that and doesn’t think about it.
• Meyer said that the gunners are his “peoples” and said that he could talk about them all day if they wanted. He said that he should probably have a “Gunner Wall” installed in the facility to celebrate them.

The No. 10 Ohio State Buckeyes will travel to face the Maryland Terrapins in College Park, Md. on Saturday at noon ET. The game will be broadcast on ABC.