“Oh, it’s No. 1, I was raised that you could lose all games but never lose that game. Now, obviously that’s not true anymore, that’s really never been true. But I was brainwashed. I was in that Woody Hayes Era – that was the enemy. That’s not a big game, that’s not a big week. That’s part of life.”
- Urban Meyer, recorded by Kevin Harrish of Eleven Warriors.
Urban Meyer will probably be on the Mount Rushmore of greatest Ohio State coaches, but there is one thing he did better than anyone, and that is beat Michigan. That team up North was an ineffectual 7-0 against Meyer, and he considers it a better achievement then all of his national championships.
His obsession with Michigan was on another level. He followed every Michigan recruit and made videos about the storied history of the rivalry. Going beyond that, Meyer had meetings to talk just about Michigan and dedicated at least some time in every spring practice for that team up north. That’s some crazy hate, and it perfectly fit in to the culture at OSU. If you spend that much time on just Michigan, it’s no wonder the players will get filled with that same passion.
He also mentioned his favorite Michigan games, the 2016 double-overtime classic, and the 2018 beat-down his final year. Meyer especially loved the 2018 game because Michigan running back Karan Higdon guaranteed a victory the week of. If you ever wondered if coaches or players care about that kind of thing, they do. Meyer said, “When I saw one of their players guarantee a win, I can’t believe I watched that,” which contributed to the little bit of running up the score you saw last year.
Now it’s time for Ryan Day to start building his legacy versus Michigan, and by all accounts it should be a good start. On the other side, Michigan’s disappointing season is saved if they can play spoiler to Ohio State. There’s always so much on the line for these teams no matter how the season is going, which is precisely why it’s the best rivalry in sports.
“Among those new assistants was Jeff Hafley, who was named co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach. Hafley has been a home run hire for the Scarlet and Gray and on Tuesday was named one of 15 semifinalists for the Broyles Award, given out annually to the best assistant coach in college football, by the Frank & Barbara Broyles Foundation.”
- Patrick Murphy, 247sports
This Ohio State team could be the best they’ve ever had, and will be taking home hardware to prove it. Young, Okudah, Fields and Dobbins are all finalists for top awards. Now the coaches are jumping into the fun, and it’s well deserved.
The transformation on defense this year has been unbelievable, and Jeff Hafley has been a massive part of that. The secondary looks brand new, and is set to produce possibly three first round draft picks this year. Okudah, Arnette and Wade are all having career years, and Fuller has been his normal consistent self.
The OSU defense was 71st in total defense, 50th in scoring defense and 98th in big play defense in 2018. This year? They are 1st, 1st and 2nd. While the secondary wasn’t seen as much of a problem as the run defense, it’s still been a huge turnaround, going from 86th in the nation in 2018 in passing yards allowed to 1st this year.
Hafley has already proven his chops as a coordinator, but he’s somehow been just as impactful on the recruiting trail. He’s No. 4 on the 2020 247sports recruiting rankings, bringing in eight commits so far with an average rating of 93.52. Headlining the 2020 class are cornerback Clark Phillips III and safety Lathan Ransom, both top 100 overall prospects and top five in their position.
Combined, this makes Hafley already one of the best coaches in the nation, and it’s no surprise programs are after him for a head coaching job. NJ.com reports that Hafley is now a top target to take over the Rutgers job after their pursuit of Schiano fell through. Hafley has roots there, being born in New Jersey and having worked for Rutgers as a secondary coach in 2011.
While Rutgers is pathetic, the chance to be a head coach isn’t one that comes often, especially for one so young and relatively inexperienced. Hafley probably won’t jump ship to Rutgers, but don’t be surprised if a big program comes knocking soon, as Hafley has shown his incredible value just one season in.
** @Utah_Football enters the CFP conversation **@CoachUrbanMeyer, @MattLeinartQB, @ReggieBush, @joelklatt, @Brady_Quinn and @RobStoneONFOX make their CFP picks through week 13 ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/d4l3FxdAo1
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 26, 2019
The Buckeyes didn’t do enough against Penn State to take the top spot in the AP poll, and we’ll have to wait and see for the CFP rankings. But regardless of any rankings, the Buckeyes are in a prime spot to win the championship, and the experts are flocking to OSU. Five of the six college football analysts on Fox Sports picked OSU as their champion. It’s not a surprise, as the Buckeyes have continued to look untouchable no matter who they go against.
OSU has only trailed for ten minutes all year, against Miami of Ohio of all teams, and has beat every single team by double digits. Besides a few uncharacteristic fumbles, the game against No. 8 Penn State could’ve been just as bad as the rest this year. No team has been as dominant in every phase of the game like OSU, and the advanced metrics show this, listing this OSU team as the best in history according to SP+.
The eye test agrees, and so do the experts. If you can stop Justin Fields who has 33 touchdowns to one interception, you have to contend with J.K. Dobbins who is averaging 6.6 yards per carry and has 17 total touchdowns. Get through the OSU offense? No problem, they still have the best defense in the league to contend with, led by the greatest sack artist college football has ever seen. Good luck everyone else.
Quick Hits:
- Defensive end Jonathon Cooper will be able to play in one more game this season before red-shirting due to injuries.
- Chase Young entering back into the Heisman House poll with another ridiculous performance.
Stick to Sports:
- Denver approves minimum wage increase to 16 dollars an hour in 2022.
- Bald Eagle rescued from gun shot wound in the wing, shooting can carry a $100,000 fine.
- Speaking of Mount Rushmore, the last carver of the Memorial passed away at age 98.
- Ford challenges Tesla in a “apples-to-apples” tug-of-war test. Elon Musk accepts.