From: “Gerald V. Emig (Jerry)” <emig.2@osu.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, December 31, 2014 5:13:25 PM
Subject: Sugar Bowl Update NYE: Some final thoughts
Dec. 31, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ohio State FB Contacts: Jerry Emig (614-203-2766 and emig.2@osu.edu) / Adam Widman (614-572-6903 and widman.12@osu.edu)
Sugar Bowl Update NYE: Some final thoughts
Buckeyes held a final walk-through at the Superdome Wednesday afternoon
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State University head coach Urban Meyer had his final press conference before the College Football Playoff semifinal against Alabama at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Wednesday morning in front of a packed crowd of reporters and photographers in Ballrooms C-F at the Marriott Convention Center.
After posing for photographs with Alabama coach Nick Saban and Sugar Bowl president Dennis Waldron, CEO Paul Hoolahan and Allstate vice president Lisa Cochrane, Meyer answered questions for about 20 minutes.
“Best Friday’s in football”
He said the team will stick with its typical Friday routine today, a day before the game, and it’s a routine the program refers to as “best Friday’s in football.”
“Every great team has a routine,” Meyer said. “It’s our job not to disrupt the routine. We do that the best we can when we’re on the road, whether it be State College or East Lansing or New Orleans for a bowl game. So we’re a real stickler about that, our routine is best Fridays in football and it starts today. … Our players enjoy the routine on Friday. The most important thing, task at hand, is we get our meetings done quickly. We have a run through, walk through, and then we have to make sure they sleep.”
The Buckeyes held their final walk-through at the Superdome from 2-3:30 p.m. this afternoon.
Comfortable at QB
Meyer said he was “comfortable” with his quarterback situation, with Cardale Jones the starter and backed by the H-back Jalin Marshall, a red-shirt freshman who was an all-state quarterback at Middletown High School.
“Comfortable, not bad,” Meyer said. “Cardale, if you asked me a year ago or six months ago, I would have looked at you and said you look like you’ve got six heads.
“But it’s a much different story right now. He’s had a great week of practice. He’s big. He stands back in the pocket. He’s got control of the offense. And I think our strength coach said it best to me when we were getting ready for the Big Ten championship game. He said, ‘You realize he came in at the same time our staff did. He’s been in every meeting. He understands the culture and expectations of the offense.’ So [I feel] very comfortable.
“And Jalin has done a great job. Is it the ideal situation? I made this comment over and over again: the one thing that’s not allowed is there’s no excuses. It is what it is. So, to answer your question I feel very comfortable where we’re at.”
Braxton came up
Regarding the status of Braxton Miller returning to Ohio State next year, Meyer said he has spoken to Miller about his future and that “I expect he’ll be back at Ohio State.”
A 135-word question
Meyer’s initial reaction to a question about the number of games college football players are now playing each season was “That’s a long question.”
After the laughter, he did say he was concerned about the length of the season, referencing first the fact that Ohio State is a different school today than it was when he attended in the mid- to late-1980s.
“It was a great school then, but it’s elite now,” Meyer said. “And you’re in a classroom that’s extremely competitive. So, yeah, I’m very concerned about the wear and tear on the student‑athlete.
“But we’ve done a good job. I think we’ve done a good job as a coaching staff. You do have to treat it a little bit differently about how you practice, the amount of pad contact you have, the amount – how many times you’re going to hit the tailback and your offensive line. Those are all things that I think our staff and I’ve watched so close … because it’s a much different season.”
Players having “time of their life”
While Meyer admitted that the 12 to potentially 15-game college football seasons are getting to be “very NFL-ish,” and he is leery of it, he also said his players are enjoying the opportunity to be playing in this College Football Playoff semifinal environment.
“…I watch our players and they’re having the time of their life,” Meyer said. “There’s no … I don’t feel like there’s fatigue. I don’t feel like there’s anyone whatsoever that doesn’t want to be a part of this. So I think it’s great for college football. But I think it’s something that we all need to consistently monitor.”
Next 48 hours: “insanity”
And getting back to how the team manages the time between its final practice and game time, Meyer said the term is “insanity.”
“The physical part is done. The mental part is something we place a tremendous value on. We work the ball. We always say you work the game until the foot hits the ball at 8:00 on January 1st. So, it’s a huge two days; very important.”
Yesterday
Yesterday before the team’s final practice, the entire team took part in a Super Bowl-style media day at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. All 100-or-so players were available as well as all the assistant coaches. The hour-long event well.
And then Tuesday afternoon coach Meyer and 10 Buckeyes – Michael Bennett, Joey Bosa, Jeff Heuerman, Curtis Grant, Doran Grant, Ezekiel Elliott, Bryce Haynes, Russell Doup, Cameron Johnston and Sean Nuernberger – spent an hour visiting pediatric patients at the Oschner Hospital. The group passed out footballs and hats and posed for photos.
Check out photo albums of yesterday and today’s activities here: http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/view.gal?id=172288
* * * * * Happy New Year! * * * * *
THE PEOPLE. THE TRADITION. THE EXCELLENCE.