URBAN MEYER January 2, 2014

January 2, 2014 An Interview With: Q. Do you ever spend any time -- I'm guessing the answer to this is no, but I'm going to ask anyway. Do you ever spend any time URBAN MEYER contemplating your own legacy? You have a chance to win a fifth BCS game, third different school. Those things don't happen to normal THE MODERATOR: We're now joined by people, obviously. Do you ever spend any time Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer. Coach, thinking about what your legacy in this game is you've got one day left to prepare for the Discover going to be? Orange Bowl. What is left to prepare for you and COACH MEYER: I took a year off of your team? coaching, and it came up a few times when you COACH MEYER: We've got to get some have time actually to think back. I always think guys healthy. It's pretty much through our team back to the legacy. We had a bunch of former now. We had a week long battle with some virus players come out to practice yesterday, a bunch of stuff. The good thing is it's a less than 24-hour guys we've coached in the past, all the way back bug. Our Jeff Heuerman seems to be the last from Notre Dame days. casualty that we're working through that. At some point, the thing I love most about Other than that, it's been a great trip. coaching football, what I miss the most is the Practice facility has been fantastic. The Orange relationship with the players, and that's -- because Bowl people have been great. Just got to get you can't really control what's out there. Our guys ready for a great team. work hard. We try to -- we don't try. We do it the THE MODERATOR: We'll open it up for right way. I have a bunch of guys that are questions. coaching -- are head coaches now and are doing great, following the rules, doing things the right Q. Urban, how do you view Bowl way. That's good for college football. games? Especially these ones that aren't for If I had to say, what I'm most proud of is National titles and these type of things? Do our players and coaches are out there doing so you view it as a continuation of the 2013 many good things. season or as a way to start 2014 or maybe a combination of both? Q. Urban, how important is this game COACH MEYER: I'm going to give you a maybe for the perception of the program? little disappointing, probably, answer because I Michigan State won yesterday, and now -- I don't really think it that much through. It's a guess how important is it for the perception of chance to go compete, whether it's checkers or you guys and the Big Ten? I know it's crazy to ping pong. We're going to try to win the game. look ahead for next year, but a big win over an Our job every time we keep score is to win. out of conference team maybe will strengthen It's the mentality we try to create within our the case of a one-loss team. program. Whether it's the Orange Bowl, whether COACH MEYER: That's a great question. it's the eighth game of the season, we're trying to I think it is big. It's something that doesn't occupy win Na game. much of our time. We have to stop bubble Early in Bowl practice, we gave a lot of screens, and those type of things. work with the young players and even the plus I did see the end of the Rose Bowl, and I periods after practice, but the last ten days have all found myself pulling for the team in green real hard been about trying to compete to win a game. just because, when I sit in these kinds of Coach Meyer – 01.02.14 1 visit our archives at asapsports.com environments, it just gets thrown back and forth, anxious to see how is that going to affect the what about this? What about this? We can't student-athlete? control what's out there. But any time a member of your conference Q. Urban, you've had like a month now does well in a big game like that, I do think it's to sort of shuffle around the defense a little bit. important because the truth is the upper level Big You're dealing with an injury or a situation with Ten teams are excellent football teams. The Noah Spence where he's not going to be here. conference is getting better. Guys are working What do you expect out of that group on Friday extremely hard to close the gap on the SEC. night? Do you expect an inspired That's the one conference the last few years that performance? What's your take on what's has really dominated. So that's a topic of coming? conversation quite often. COACH MEYER: We've practiced really Once again, it doesn't occupy -- because hard. Our pass defense has been a major issue at you can't control that. You can control your Ohio State, not near the standard we expect. performance on Saturday or Friday -- I guess Whenever that happens, you look at personnel. Friday's game. You look at scheme. That's both been evaluated. And then at this time of year, it's just go Q. On the tail of what the gentleman work as hard as you can, and so we have Tyvis just asked you about the conference, do you Powell and Vonn Bell will be starting at positions think, with the evolution of the playoff system, they've never started before at. So that's that more of this conference talk will fade personnel. We've made some adjustments to away? It's going to be every man for himself scheme. basically because it's going to be every team And then we do what we do, and that's go trying to get to the Final Four. It's not going to out and work as hard as you possibly can. So I'm be a conference trying to get to the Final Four. expecting -- the issue is going to be the team COACH MEYER: I think that's a good you're playing, and they're very good at what they point. It's something, once again, in the do. It's not just covering, but it's getting them on off-season -- when the BCS first went with a game the ground because their skilled positions at removed and it was actually Ohio State versus Clemson are as good as anybody in America. Florida in '06, it was all how are we going to do I'm anticipating that our guys play very this? And just the logistics of one week behind. I hard. think the one thing in most coaches' minds is how is logistics going to work? You have two games Q. Question I have, down the stretch, back to back with finals. Braxton was maybe not as efficient throwing There's an element that I don't hear much the football perhaps as you would have liked. conversation about when you start talking about He only averaged about 130 yards a game. I the playoffs, and that's the academic calendar and don't know if you put a number on what you the wear and tear on your 85 scholarship players, want to throw for in this game, but it's probably which we're much below that because of the NCAA not going to be enough to get the job done. stuff. That's the -- we're dealing with some injury What have you done with him, working with and depth issues right now. If you had to play one him to bring him along so you guys can make more after this, I'm just -- those are the things that I the plays you need to make in this game? know is in this coaching staff's mind. COACH MEYER: Braxton has got to play better, but the guys around him have to play better Q. That's not what the public thinks too and what the coaches have to do too. It's a about. The coaches think about what you're team effort. I think everyone understands that. talking about -- injuries, academic. You've got If you closely evaluate the last few games, to figure all that in. two were weather conditions, one was a game COACH MEYER: Here's the thing to think where we didn't throw the ball very much because about. Most kids start class Monday, and take the run game was working so well and we had to another week off or ten days off -- I know we're go win the game obviously. probably going in a direction away from the Orange The last game was one we have to play Bowl, but that's real. I think most coaches are Coach Meyer – 01.02.14 2 visit our archives at asapsports.com better, but that's not just -- you can't throw -- I Q. Just kind of a procedural question. always try to deflect praise and deflect blame, Did you guys name like permanent captains at especially on the quarterback position, because the end of the year at the banquet or anything? that's one of the most, if not the most unique COACH MEYER: I'm not sure yet.

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