COLUMBUS -- Ohio State coach Urban Meyer has heard stories about teams losing their momentum during bye weeks. It’s never happened to one of his teams, however. He’s 41-3 when he has an extra week to prepare for a game. That number includes season openers.
The No. 1 Buckeyes (8-0, 4-0) hit their bye week at the perfect time. They just played their most complete game of the season, routing Rutgers 49-7 on Saturday on the road, and get a week to get ready for the stretch run: a home game against Minnesota, followed by a trip to Illinois, a home game against Michigan State and finally the regular-season finale at Michigan.
“We don’t really talk about the stretch run,” said Meyer on Tuesday on the Big Ten coaches teleconference. “We’re just talking about Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.”
The bye week will give linebacker Joshua Perry time to get healthy. He’s still nursing a high ankle sprain, Meyer said.
“We’ve got some other guys banged up,” Meyer said. “We still don’t have the depth at certain positions.”
Meyer hopes his players go home for the weekend, watch their high school teams play, and then spend Saturday with their families. The ease of the victory at Rutgers will allow the players and coaches to enjoy the bye week.
Meyer spent Monday promoting his new book, “Above the Line.” He appeared on “CBS This Morning,” the “O’Reilly Factor,” ESPN’s “SportsCenter” and the “Dan Patrick Show.”
“I would not be here if we didn’t play well,” Meyer told Patrick, a University of Dayton graduate. “The last three weeks we’ve played well, so I like where we’re at.”
Patrick asked Meyer how he and the Buckeyes handle the pressure of the expectations that come with being the defending national champion.
“It’s a question I lived with in ‘09 (at Florida), and I didn’t handle it very well,” Meyer said. “Coaches don’t matter. It’s the players. Every week you see upsets. We make sure they enjoy (winning). We have something called the victory meal. We do enjoy it. We do work to get better.”
The expectations have affected this team at times, Meyer said Tuesday. No one has higher expectations than he and the players.
“I have addressed it a a few times,” Meyer said, “but I haven’t really talked about it lately. I don’t feel the pressing. I feel guys just trying to get better now.”
Notes: Defensive end Joey Bosa was named a semifinalist for the Ted Hendricks Award on Tuesday. It's given annually to college football's top defensive end. … Meyer had a book signing Tuesday at the Kroger on Graceland Boulevard in Columbus. He has another signing at noon today at the Barnes and Noble at 1598 N. High St. Tickets are sold out for his third signing at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Book Loft in German Village.
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