With a pair of big games this weekend highlighting the Big Ten East, Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer knows what's at stake. A win over Penn State will go a long way in helping create some clarity in the division.
“I think it’s an obvious yes; two are going to lose and two are going to win," Meyer said Tuesday on the Big Ten coaches weekly teleconference. "The teams that win keep moving forward and the teams that lose are usually not out of it, obviously, because this is one of the toughest [conferences].”
The other big game this weekend in the division is Michigan State at Michigan. The Buckeyes will play both of those teams later in the year, but right now the focus is on a Penn State team which Ohio State had to go to double overtime with last season in Happy Valley before escaping with a 31-24 win.
Meyer said last year's game won't have much of an impact on this season's.
"We watch it and schematically I think that was very appropriate for how that team developed last year," Meyer said. "Up to that point, we were good, but I never saw them fight and crawl out from underneath a bad situation. They did, and that was incredible. When you go back and watch it, that was a violent, tough game and a lot of credit to Penn State and our guys. That was a well-played, tough football game.”
Additional Meyer notes:
- On quarterbacks, Meyer said winning is priority No. 1, but there is a human element involved in the entire process. “Helping us win is No. 1, but I’m not ashamed to say there are some people who have done a lot for this program and we’re doing all we can to make sure that they are actively involved," he said. "That would never get in the way of trying to secure a win.”
- On Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg and defending the deep pass: “We’ve known Christian Hackenberg for quite a while, obviously NFL abilities. Their receivers are much-improved," Meyer said. "We’ve defended it pretty good this year, but we gave up one last week. That was more of — we were out of position. I think we’ve defended the deep ball pretty decent this year. The thing that’s hurt us is the quarterback run and he actually ran the ball last week pretty good. We’ve got a lot of respect for Christian."
- Meyer said he's caught off by a recruit's decisions roughly 10 percent of the time. “You usually know when they process if it’s a standing one of if it’s one where a young guy wants to look around," Meyer said. "As long as they look around, you’ve just gotta have a Plan B ready."
- Meyer was asked about his interaction with fans on his weekly call-in show and joked, "I think I’d rather stick a rusty nail in my heel than have someone ask me about quarterbacks on those call-in shows, but I do appreciate when guys are full of energy and we do have a bunch of great fans.”
In addition to Ohio State's game with Penn State, two other key matchups highlight this weekend's Big Ten slate. The biggest game will take place 3:30 p.m. when seventh-ranked Michigan State travels to No. 12 Michigan. At noon, 17th-ranked Iowa travels to No. 20 Northwestern.
In addition to Meyer, the additional 13 coaches in the Big Ten spoke Tuesday on the weekly coaches teleconference. Below are some highlights from each coach in the league.
Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern):
- Fitzgerald on Michigan: "I think they're outstanding up front and I thought they played very well defensively."
- Fitzgerald was asked if Saturday's game against Michigan was a 'burn the tape game.' His response: "I think you teach from the mistakes that you made. The bottom line is in the first about 18 minutes or so of the game, we needed to make some momentum plays and we didn't do that."
- "We're a 5-1 football team. We've beaten some very, very good football teams along the way here and we've played a pretty competitive schedule."
- On this weekend's matchup with Iowa, Fitzgerald said, "They're playing great football. Up front, defensively, I'm really impressed with those guys. They play the Iowa way."
Jim Harbaugh (Michigan):
- Harbaugh on Michigan's defense: "Defensive coaches, our staff as a whole, I'm really pleased. Love working with these guys. They know so much football and do such a tremendous job teaching and we all do our roles. We all do a little bit and it adds up to a lot."
- Harbaugh on Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook: "He performs so consistently well at all times. I keep looking at the 29-3 as a starter and it speaks volumes."
- Harbaugh asked if Saturday was a significant day for the Big Ten East. "I don't know."
- When asked what impact this game could have on recruiting, Harbaugh said, "I'm sure there's things, but I'd probably be able to tell you that better after going through the game."
Paul Chryst (Wisconsin):
- Chryst on this weekend's matchup with Purdue: "In all three phases, they have some really good players. Their schemes can present challenges for you and we've gotta have a great week of preparation."
- Chryst was asked about Steve Spurrier's resignation. "Heck of a run he's been able to put together," Chryst said. "What a football career."
Mike Riley (Nebraska):
- On Saturday's matchup with Minnesota: "They've done a great job there. They're a good-looking football team. I understand that being relatively new in the league, these kinds of rivalries will grow."
- Riley on Nebraska's close losses: "Never a number of these kinds of games like this jumbled up in the first half of a season."
Mark Dantonio (Michigan State):
- Dantonio on Michigan: "They're playing great defense. Tough to run on, obviously. They haven't given up may scores. They're a smash mouth-type football team."
- When asked if this weekend will clear things up in the Big Ten East, Dantonio said, "I think every football game in this conference is extremely meaningful. I think things will shake out as they go."
- Dantonio asked about the impact of recruiting on a game like Saturday's: "I do think it has an impact on younger people as they move through the process, but tough to say I guess."
- Dantonio on coaching turnover in college football: "There isn't lot of patience out there. People are asked to win and win now. You're judged on winning."
Kirk Ferentz (Iowa):
- On Northwestern's 38-0 loss last week at Michigan: "Sometimes it's a perfect storm and games aren't indicative of the way things are. Michigan had a great day and I'm sure Northwestern would say it didn't play their best football."
Jerry Kill (Minnesota):
- On Nebraska: "They don't make a lot of mistakes, very disciplined. They're very, very hard to to prepare for from an offensive and defensive standpoint."
- On running back Shannon Brooks: "He was a kid that wasn't that highly recruited from a smaller school. We definitely saw talent in him and we knew that he was going to be a very good player."
Kyle Flood (Rutgers):
- Flood on his suspension: "It's a helpless kind of feeling. You want to be out there with your team and you can't be."
Bill Cubit (Illinois):
- On Illinois' bye week, Cubit said, "Gives us an opportunity for some of the guys that haven't played a whole lot some opportunities. It also gives us a chance to get healthy."
Mike Locksley (Maryland):
- "Obviously with the change, things have been a whirlwind for all the parties involved. What we tried to do is minimize the transition for our guys, just tried to keep things as consistent as possible for these guys."
- "The role I'm in, I told them, is like the substitute school teacher."
Darrell Hazell (Purdue):
- "We didn't play well in the third quarter against our last opponent. We've gotta come out of the locker room in the second half and play much better."
- Hazell on Wisconsin's defense: "They're an outstanding defense. They do such a great job of getting to the quarterback."
James Franklin (Penn State):
- Franklin on Ohio State's offense: "They're fast. They've got a bunch of playmakers at the wide receiver position. Their tailback is explosive and it just seems like every game there's two or three runs that break the game wide open."
- Franklin said he's been really impressed with Braxton Miller's move to wide receiver.
- Franklin said his team has been playing better in all three phases since season-opening loss to Temple.
- Franklin on rebounding from Temple loss: "It's about focusing on the things that we can control. We knew we could play better and we've improved each week and that's what our focus has been on and nothing else."
- Franklin on current recruiting battles between Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State: "It's really competitive right now, and it's a real challenge."
Kevin Wilson (Indiana):
- Wilson on quarterback Nate Sudfeld and running back Jordan Howard: "They're working. Looking OK, we'll see how it goes."
