Urban Meyer talks Penn State in weekly press conference

It has been an interesting 48 hours for the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes football program. From a decisive 49-6 victory over Tulane on Saturday, to looking ahead to this week’s primetime matchup against No. 9 Penn State, to discussions about Ryan Day potentially being named the football program’s head coach in waiting.

Watch the press conference:

Champions of the Game

Offense: Isaiah Prince, Michael Jordan, Thayer Munford, Demetrius Knox, Malcolm Pridgeon, Luke Farrell, J.K. Dobbins, K.J. Hill, Terry McLaurin, Johnnie Dixon, Austin Mack, Binjimen Victor, Dwayne Haskins
Player of the Game: Parris Campbell

Defense: Dante Booker
Player of the Game: Tyler Friday, Kendall Sheffield, Isaiah Pryor, Jordan Fuller

Special Teams Player of the Game: Drue Chrisman

Penn State Preview

• Meyer said that the reason that they didn’t get the running going as much is because of how defenses are playing receivers. If defensive backs continue to play one-on-one, they will take advantage of that.
• Meyer said that he called Haskins after the game on Saturday and reminded him to stay focused and humble. Meyer said that he’s seen it go both ways, but expects Haskins to handle the attention well.
• He said that when he thinks about Trace McSorley he thinks of a winner.
• In speaking of the Penn State QB, Meyer said, “This is going to be a true spread quarterback. J.T. was this kind of quarterback.”
• Meyer said that their focus is on being the most prepared team going into Saturday. They haven’t thought about the future implications that the game could have.
• He said that the environment in Happy Valley is one of the best in the country.
• “Everyone knows this,” Meyer said. The quarterback is a production of the offensive line. They’ve done a good job of protecting Dwayne this year.”
• The head coach said that they don’t see a ton of difference between what Penn State has done in the past to what they are doing this year.

Tulane Recap

• Meyer said that he did not know that the starting linebackers did not have any tackles against Tulane.

Injury Updates

• Meyer announced that Nick Bosa will not be ready for Penn State. He said that it should be a few more weeks.
• He said that they have had conversations with Bosa and his family about how to bring him back into the rotation when he is healthy. Meyer said that while they treat every player equally, it will be taken into consideration that he could be a very high NFL Draft pick.
• Meyer also said that Bosa definitely wants to come back and play this year.
• He also added that Robert Landers will be ready to go against PSU.
• Mike Weber is expected to play this weekend.

Position Battles

• Meyer said that Brian Snead violated team rules, and his status is still undetermined for Penn State.

Ryan Day and Coach-in-Waiting Position

• Meyer said that while Ryan Day is an exceptional coach, but he hasn’t put any thought into the concept of having a coach-in-waiting.

Miscellaneous

• Meyer said that the offense is different this year, so it takes some getting used to, especially when trying to determine what a good balance is.
• He said that it is the job of coaches to adapt to take what players can do and to maximize it.
• Meyer said that you have to run the ball completely differently without the threat of a quarterback run.
• He said that in the off-season, they had to install different offensive philosophies to optimize what Haskins could do.
• Meyer said that the response from quarterback recruits have been very excited about the passing game this season.
• The head coach said that he has always been supportive of Athletes in Action, and that faith is an important part of the program, even though they don’t force anyone to participate in anything.
• Meyer proudly discusses why Ohio State has been ranked as the No. 1 sports and academics institution in the country.
• He said that his ideas for how to integrate that into his program started when his daughter was recruited, but they have blown his initial expectations out of the water.
• Meyer said that Isaiah Prince is “one of the most improved players we’ve ever had.”