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OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 10, 2015

Urban Meyer

Columbus, Ohio

Maryland - 28
Ohio State - 49

COACH MEYER: Thank you for coming. As always, thank the best fans in the land. Great turnout. Provided us a lot of energy on a noon kickoff, and I thought our guys responded very well against a team that was swinging as hard as they can.

Credit to Maryland. I know there's a lot of stuff out there, and I just can't stand hearing that stuff. I just respect coaches, respect players. I know one thing, they played their hearts out.

It was a good win. As a matter of fact, it was a great win. We're going to enjoy that one and get back to work next week.

I know the question about the quarterback is going to come up. J.T. is just a very good player. We've been having some red zone issues and the Q run, everything condenses so much in there. Either you have to be extremely accurate, which we're going to continue to work at that. In the throwing game -- or the run game, you have to somehow find an extra hat. That's only done a couple of ways, that's option football or Q run to equate numbers. He provided an obvious spark for us in there. Of course, he's a leader and a guy that needs to be on the field.

I'll answer any questions.

Q. Did all those hours pay off? Did you break the rock today? Was there a breakthrough?
COACH MEYER: I think there was. A lot of guys were involved offensively. You throw the ball for 300 yards, you get some guys involved. You're balanced. We wish we could get Zeke out loose a couple times, and we weren't able to do that, but he ran hard. Give Maryland credit. They were playing their tails off and kind of negating that and allowing us to throw the ball a little bit.

Q. [No microphone] with the quarterback situation?
COACH MEYER: Sure, until next week.

Q. I mean, are you happy with the way that worked?
COACH MEYER: I'm very happy with it. I'm into good kids. I'm into good people that are committed to our program. To see a smile on those guys' face and to see they worked hard, and it's a unique situation. We're going to bring them both up here and let them both talk to you because it is unique.

The attention to this thing, I'm exhausted from it. I can imagine -- I don't read my phone very often, so I can imagine what those two young guys -- they stay pretty focused, and they've got a support group that's really, really strong, and that's down in that locker room.

Q. Number one, did the Perry Hills kid, number 11, catch you all's defense a little bit unaware?
COACH MEYER: They were starting to read some down linemen. Hadn't really showed much of that. The Q -- true spread offense stuff they were doing that really they were more of a throw team. I thought we adapted well. I shouldn't say well. After a couple of them, we slowed it down and got them in some long yardage situations.

That last quarter is not on our defense. I'm so angry at that thing that that happened. Defense is done. Stay on the bench and just grind it out. We snap the darn thing like a high school team over the guy's head. That shouldn't have happened. I'm not putting that on defense at all.

Guy comes out -- athletic quarterbacks are something that's hurt us two weeks in a row.

Q. Jalin kind of made up for last week? What was your take on Jalin Marshall's play?
COACH MEYER: Oh, because of turnovers? Yeah. Jalin is going to play hard. Strong emphasis on turnovers and execution. We had 3 out of 4. Really the only issue I saw, not discounting that last high school drive, but the four issues by the offensive line in the first half, a couple penalties -- four penalties. We'll get that fixed. Our line is too good.

Q. You're up 21-7 and driving. It looks like you have the game under control, then they end up tying it. What are you thinking when it's 21-21?
COACH MEYER: I'm thinking we've got to just keep executing and get going. You get up by two scores, I'm a little upset, just what's our next drive? What's our plan once we start moving the ball. I have enough confidence we're going to get everybody's best shot and continue to play and swing and swing and swing, and that's what we did.

Q. I want to say you guys were 6 for 6 in the red zone and no turnovers. Can you address both?
COACH MEYER: I'm sorry?

Q. 6 for 6 in the Reds zone, you guys were, and no turnovers today.
COACH MEYER: I know. I heard you the first time. I just wanted you to say it again. 6 for 6, no turnovers, worked very hard with a bunch of good guys that listened very well and executed very good down there.

Q. Urban, when you talked about the quarterbacks before the season, you kind of thought they had similar skill sets. What sort of led you down the path to the point where J.T. Barrett was sort of that situational guy today?
COACH MEYER: Well, it was a little old school. When I kind of watched Tom Herman's, what he did -- I watched Houston play the other night and they had that tempo, and the tempo without a Q threat. And Cardale can, that's not his niche, but we kind of had him going there for a little bit with the tempo, going as fast as we can.

And we have a nice set of little plays that are built kind of for Braxton and J.T. I know J.T. obviously can throw it well too. So we're going to keep tinkering with that thing.

Q. And if J.T. is the right guy in the red zone in that situation, why isn't J.T. the right guy all the time?
COACH MEYER: We just won, man. I'm going to go enjoy a nice Gatorade tonight. That's a good question, and J.T. is -- they're both very good quarterbacks. They both played well. I'm going to hug them both and say great job, well done. Let's go to work tomorrow and find a way to get better.

Q. Coach, I want to add on Cardale. It's not like he's been completely marginalized. He threw for almost 300 yards in the game.
COACH MEYER: You can talk about that afterwards with your little journalism --

Q. Just your thought on him, do you think he responded to the situation?
COACH MEYER: Cardale? Yeah, I think he was great. He played his best game since last year. Very efficient. I don't have his stat. Very efficient, threw for 290 and some change. I thought him and Mike Thomas did a very nice job. He had a couple of deep balls right on target with Braxton and Jalin. Two Braxtons, if I remember right. It was great to get Braxton Miller involved. Let him get his ten touches.

Q. I was just going to ask about Braxton. Ten touches, a touchdown. It's been about a month since he's taken off a bit. What's it like to see him get going?
COACH MEYER: I'm so into good guys who care about the program, care about the university, and to see his face -- I hope you guys get to see him because he had a nice smile on his face. It's not easy. We talk about those 50-year-old men sitting in it front of grease boards, and you've got guys that deserve to touch the ball, and we're doing the best we can. Thank you.

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