Urban Meyer wants everyone to know one thing for certain about the quarterback situation as it pertains to the No. 1 team in the country.
"Let's be clear: I did go with one guy. The guy didn't perform well, so we went with the backup," Meyer said Monday. "There is no set thing saying that we're a two-quarterback system, we're not. The backup's a very good player, whomever that may be. So we are going with one guy."
The one guy was supposed to be Cardale Jones for Ohio State, who beat out J.T. Barrett for the right to start at Virginia Tech on Labor Day. He did and played well enough for the Buckeyes to get a 42-24 road victory, but was yanked in his team's first two home games of the season against Hawai'i and Saturday against Northern Illinois.
Ohio State's offense didn't play well against the Huskies — that's been established. Plenty of things went wrong and have to be corrected before the calendar flips to October and then November when the schedule toughens and the Buckeyes look to be in contention to win the Big Ten.
But Jones threw two interceptions Saturday. Barrett, one. The latter also had one that should have been picked off in the end zone, but Meyer kept him in, even though Jones got the hook midway through the second quarter.
"I think it was the right time," Meyer said of removing Jones.
Why? Because of the turnovers committed, Meyer said.
That makes sense, but Barrett turned it over once, too, and uncharacteristically misread multiple other plays, ultimately only generating 10 points. Yet he remained in the game.
"It's a feel of the game. It's not something I have written down," Meyer said. "It's something that I have to make sure that you're on the same page that they are, and that's not easy. The thing that I worry about and I know that's happening is just the overwhelming mess that is on these 19, 20, 21-year-olds as far as that's why I'm probably going to say just let (the media) stay away from the quarterback for a while. Just let them get settled in and go."
The regular season is a quarter of the way over, and Meyer doesn't have a guy settled in at quarterback. Things are a work in progress, and he's said all fall the job could be Barrett's if he beat out Jones in practice. There's a reason they're listed as co-starters on the depth chart.
Jones, though, has been the guy, but Meyer reiterated Monday what he said Saturday after the 20-13 victory: He doesn't know about it now.
"Cardale has gotten most of the one reps. He's a high-volume right now guy," Meyer said. "J.T.'s a very efficient guy and he stands right behind him and gets the same reps. Just not actual behind center. So those are all things that haven't been determined yet."
The Buckeyes don't practice Monday, before getting after it Tuesday and Wednesday and then cleaning up the finer details the final two days of the work week.
There's still time to iron this out and as Ohio State continues to win, it shouldn't be a problem as far as its post-season aspirations are concerned. That is, until the back and forth becomes a hurdle and a game that could be a victory becomes the opposite because the most important position on the offense is not a bolstered fulcrum in the grand scheme of things.
“I'm not looking over your shoulder if you perform pretty good. If it's not good, then we have to make a change. We have to win the darn game, and that was a close game.”– Urban Meyer
"Today, not one is beating out the other, and they're not playing great. So once again, if that's an excuse, which I call it an excuse of how can you perform with someone looking over your shoulder, NFL quarterbacks do. I've never had one not," Meyer said. "We've always had a backup quarterback. It just happens the backup quarterback here whoever it may be is really good."
That's a proactive way of considering things, but don't expect Meyer to buy into the idea of having to take time to get two players ready to dissect an opponent like they are a starter is a disservice to the team.
"When I hear that, most of the people that say that haven't played a whole lot. But every once in a while you hear someone say how can I play — well, I'm not looking over your shoulder if you perform pretty good," Meyer said. "If it's not good, then we have to make a change. We have to win the darn game, and that was a close game."
It was a close game, against a team that will compete in the MAC this season. But the lack of explosive plays from an offense that averaged north of 500 yards a game the past two seasons is palpable. The continuity isn't there from the offensive line, to the running backs, wide receivers, tight ends and even the coaches who determine the play calls.
Above all, though, it starts with whoever takes the snap.
And, right now, Meyer doesn't know who that player is for his team.
"Very unique situation that I constantly evaluate am I doing the right thing by them?" Meyer said. "And I don't know any better other than if you have a very good player at the No. 2 spot and No. 1's not performing, go in there. If your No. 2 is not very good, but I don't know. At this kind of level, I don't know where that is."
