COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Urban Meyer figures the mourning period better be over for his Ohio State Buckeyes.
After all, it’s not like he can shield the team from what’s being said about them.
”You’d love to just go move them off to a desert island somewhere and coach a team and not worry about social media” and other critics and doubters, Meyer said. ”Yeah, those are concerns.”
Seven days after a devastating 35-21 loss at home to Virginia Tech, the 22nd-ranked Buckeyes take a step toward putting that defeat behind them when they host Kent State on Saturday.
Here are some things to watch as the Golden Flashes and Buckeyes square off:
NOT HAPPY: No. 22 Ohio State had won its first 25 regular-season games under Meyer and hadn’t lost at home since 2011. But that didn’t mean there weren’t a lot of callers to sports-talk radio and people on Ohio State-related websites grousing about the defeat.
Some said the Buckeyes (1-1), who have lost three of their last four including the Big Ten title game and Orange Bowl to end last season, are slipping.
”Absolutely not. We know what we’ve got here, we know the mindset of our players, we know how much they care about this program,” running backs coach Stan Drayton said. ”We know the commitment that both the coaching staff and the players have to having success here. Absolutely not.”
LOST CONFIDENCE: The Buckeyes are hoping they can regain their swagger.
”I wouldn’t say we lost our luster. Stuff just happened,” safety Tyvis Powell said. ”These couple of games that we lost, it’s only been a few plays. A couple mental errors here and there have cost us big. Do we still play with a chip on our shoulder? I would say yeah. We’re still the big (team) to beat in the Big Ten. We have to prove why we still are if not the best, one of the best teams in the Big Ten, if not in the country.”
Continue Reading: Buckeyes looking for pick-me-up against Kent State
