Coach Meyer’s comments following the win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers, courtesy of Fox Sports Ohio: (transcription provided by the Ohio State Athletic Department)
COACH MEYER: I want to give a lot of thanks to our crowd, the Buckeye Walk, the skull session. That was one of the great evenings in Columbus, in Ohio State. But I really appreciate that. I never want to let that go without telling the fans that. That was tremendous. Also, our student body and the quick cals, it’s really cool to watch guys really buy in, not only your team, but the fans. That was ‑‑ from the bottom of my heart, I want to make sure everybody knows that. I know it’s not a great story, but it’s a great story. That was a good thing for Ohio State.
Give credit where credit is due. I thought the first quarter was a trainwreck for our offense, but it was because they’re playing very good defense. And they weren’t doing a lot different. They came out and hit us in the mouth. We had to get going, but our offensive line eventually took over that game. And we have two good runners right now. We have a quarterback obviously that’s kind of ridiculous running the ball, and then Carlos Hyde is a guy that is starting to earn a lot of respect, other than that darn fumble. But he’s running hard. And then Rod Smith came in and pounded it, too.
So you can see what we are. We’re kind of a pound‑ya offense right now. I don’t mind that. I’ve not had a lot of those. But that’s a pound‑ya offense. And we still need to do some other things, but we also ‑‑ opportunity on the couple ‑‑ I think we had two touchdown passes, right? Just one touchdown pass, but another one down to the end zone.
Defense can get better. Created some turnovers, but can get better. Pleased with their effort, but we all know we can’t give up those kind of yards and those kinds of points and win the game. They fed off each other. And this team is buying in, and they’re doing a good job.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sIcH5KNpiQ?list=UUq9wpdf3a3tGu0SzjYcrp1w&hl=en_US]
Q. Talk about No. 1, Robey’s pick six, which kept you all in the game. That was odd there.
COACH MEYER: It was a dark day there for that first quarter. He stepped in front, and I thought Philly Brown on his punt return ‑‑ most kids that hear those ‑‑ we do a ceremony after the game, let some guys talk who performed well, and every one of them to a man said that; that when the offense was struggling, you have Robey and also the punt return, and the defense, offense goes out, and I think we had a couple of long drives. I can’t remember the minutes. But our defense was on the sideline and we’re just methodically moving, the offense is moving the ball. Right now they’re feeding off each other.
Q. Did you see a difference, though? Obviously first quarter, like you said, was a trainwreck, and then suddenly Braxton went 72 yards. Is that the ignition point?
COACH MEYER: No question. We wanted to really rely on Carlos Hyde a little bit, to pound him the way I felt he earned it, and I made that comment after what I saw in that last drive against Michigan State; that maybe we can pound the ball for five, six, seven yards. Some people would say it’s not the most exciting thing. It’s pretty good to call a play on second and four, though, second and three.
That was the plan, and the plan was not working in the first quarter. And I think Braxton obviously changed the game.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHk7W70CG2o?list=UUq9wpdf3a3tGu0SzjYcrp1w&hl=en_US]
Q. You’ve been known to call ‑‑ say that’s my guy, guys graduate through your program, did you get any new guys tonight?
COACH MEYER: I got a bunch of them. A bunch of them. I like that. I don’t know if I’m prepared to say that. I’ve got a bunch of guys in there right now. My guys right now are that offensive line. I just love them to death.
To see what they did tonight and see their reaction in there and know what they’ve gone through, that’s a great question but there’s more than just one.
Q. You said in the lead up to this you wanted this place to be an inferno, those were iconic helmets hooking up, that was a pretty special night. Did you enjoy it? Did it live up to what you hoped it would?
COACH MEYER: It sure did. As I said, I started off that conversation with asking it to be an inferno. It started from day one ‑‑ from whatever time we started, 6:00 or 5:30 we came walking down those stairs and a whole line of people, we closed in the Buckeye Walk because I want these people ‑‑ I didn’t like the first couple of weeks. I saw a bunch of people, players with headsets on and listening to music as they’re walking down. That’s not what we want. We want the fans ‑‑ it’s Ohio’s football team. It’s the great state of Ohio’s football team. Come enjoy your players, because they’re playing hard for you. I loved every minute of it.
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