Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer discussed everything surrounding the Buckeyes during his weekly appearance on the Big Ten coaches conference call on Tuesday, specifically about this weekend's massive showdown against Penn State.
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The transcript of quotes from Meyer's Big Ten press conference is below. The general questions are bolded, with Meyer's answers in quotes below.
On the biggest change in Ohio State since losing to Oklahoma:
"Two areas, probably three areas of our program that suffered the most and were exposed and just didn't play well were the back end of our defense, the timing and execution by the quarterback and his receivers, and the offensive line play. All three are markedly improved."
On this being a career-defining game for J.T. Barrett:
"I don't think so. A quarterback who has played as long as him has played in several of them. I wouldn't say that this is the one but this is obviously a very important one."
On how much time he dictates to doing the coaching poll:
"Probably 20 minutes to a half hour. I have someone do it for me, as far as all the statistical data. I always ask about statistics, who they've played, and we keep a running total of the teams that we follow."
On if the coaching poll still has the same value:
"I have no idea."
On what has impressed him the most about J.T. Barrett's play since Oklahoma loss:
"With J.T., you see what you get and it's been every day since I shook the man's hand as a youngster. What has impressed me the most is his consistency, his work ethic, his leadership skill set. I see what probably most everyone else doesn't. I've coached J.T. for a long, long time, and his consistency and toughness has never wavered."
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On if Ohio State had an identity going into the Oklahoma game:
"It's very clear who we are and are always going to be offensively, and pretty much defensively as well. That always alters with your personnel. We didn't execute very well, we didn't coach very well, but the identity, there's never been a misunderstanding about what that is around here. We've enhanced things - Ryan Day has done a really good job of enhancing some of the things in the throwing game - and defensively that's coming with improvement. Obviously, we're realistic about who we've faced, but also, there's been improvement by players who haven't played much."
On what about Trace McSorley has impressed him:
"The thing that I think - and it's a lot like our quarterback - that separates him is that his competitiveness is off the charts. I really got to watch him on TV, I've never really done that before, last week, and one play, in particular, going to his left in the red zone where he scored, made a couple of people miss and he lunged. He's not the biggest guy but he competes so damn hard that he got in the end zone. That's what makes J.T. Barrett so special and that's what made Alex Smith so special, Tebow etc. They're all different sizes, shapes, and forms, but the common trait of winners is a competitive spirit.
On Penn State's defensive front:
"I like to group them together. I don't want to pick out one [player] against another for obvious reasons because people read stuff. We have a lot of respect [for them]. I think they're very similar in their approach to the game. The one guy that steps up big time is #40. You see him all over the place. But to say one defensive lineman is better than another, I just can't do that. I just think they're well coached and play extremely hard."
On Isaiah Prince's improvement from a year ago:
"[He's improved] in all areas. We're a big believer in how you practice is how you play, and just the way he approaches everything is much different, much improved, and this will be a great challenge for him because this is one where he and several others didn't play very well last year against them."
On the importance of Jerome Baker and keeping Ohio prospects in-state:
"Every family has a right to watch their son play football. I'm glad he's here. This is a critical, critical game for him not just with his own performance but lifting those around him. That's where he has grown up. Obviously, we have to keep the best players in the state of Ohio. We work extremely hard on that."
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