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OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY MEDIA CONFERENCESeptember 23, 2013Zach SmithQ. Last year in the Wisconsin game, you were very conservative offensively and I know coaches were concerned about not being able to take advantage of what they were giving you, how confident are you this year that if they give you the same kind of look, you'll be able to take advantage? COACH SMITH: I think that's probably the biggest development in the past 12 months has been our development of the skill position, being able to throw the ball more efficiently and some of the things last year that we weren't comfortable with, we're more comfortable now. Obviously that's been evident through the first four games, and that's something we have to be able to do. We should have been able to do it last year and we were deficient at times, and this year, that's something that we are going to rely on, is teams want to do things like Wisconsin did last year against us, we are going to take advantage of what their weakness is, and we feel more competent at doing that now. Q. When you looked at last year's game film, are there lots of times you say, oh, this year, we'll get them on that one? COACH SMITH: I wouldn't say a lot of times. You know, they weren't doing stuff last year that's that outrageous that you look at and say, my gosh, we need to take advantage of this or this. They just‑‑ every defense has a weakness somewhere, and last year we didn't feel great about the weakness that they had attacking it. So this year we feel much better about it for sure. Q. Can you give an update on James Clark? How is he doing after the injury? COACH SMITH: He's doing well. He had an ankle injury and he's probably done for the year, so we'll move forward with him. As far as his mentality and his psyche, he's doing really well. We were excited about his development and how he was coming but obviously injuries happen in football. . So we are looking forward to an off‑season for him and getting him stronger and a better understanding of the offense, so we are excited about it. Q. I imagine he could still red-shirt since it was only in the fourth game. COACH SMITH: I believe so. I'm not 100 percent positive but I think he can. Q. Corey Smith, Michael Thomas, I imagine red‑shirting a freshman is one thing, but when you have to red-shirt an upper classman, I know Urban said you're not red‑shirting for sure, but that's the plan; how tough is that on them? Do you have to play counselor with them? COACH SMITH: I don't think it's tough on them because they see it as a positive for their future. We would hate to just put them in in mop‑up duty on a game that we wanted to get the starters out and then they waste a whole year kind of not being a contributing factor to the offense. So I think that they are excited about that, but at the same time, they want to get on the field. The good thing is, we are not saying, hey, you're going to red-shirt, go over here, we'll get to you in the off‑season. They are preparing like they are going to play because at any moment, they could be the guy that has to go in and play. It's a good thing because they are going to get a whole year of preparing to play as if they are a starter before they are, so we are excited about it and they are in a good place mentally in how they are handling it and how they are approaching every game. Q. You guys threw it 34 times in the first half last week. How much of that was in preparation for what you may see this weekend against Wisconsin in terms of blitz schemes, getting the guys prepared for pass blocking and picking up those blitzes? COACH SMITH: I don't think if it was necessarily in prep for this game. I think it was more that that was obviously an area that we needed to improve this year, and when we came out in that game, we threw the ball quite a bit because that's something that we felt like has made a dramatic improvement and we need to get those live game reps at doing it. Because it's one thing to be able to do it in practice; it's another thing to be able to do it in front of 107,000. So that's why we did and because that's what they were giving us. We didn't go into it saying, hey, let's work on this, though this and this. It was more, this is what is going to be successful, let's do it. And it was also beneficial because now we are getting those live game reps at working on that. Q. How much different Wisconsin's defensive philosophy this year, as opposed to last year, with the new coordinator? COACH SMITH: A little bit different. Obviously they are going to play to their personnel; so I don't know what their philosophy will be down the road, but it's a little different, a little different than it was last year. Probably a little more man coverage, more press man, a little more challenging for the wide receivers but nothing dramatic. Q. Devin is averaging 41 yards per touchdown catch. Does that number surprise you, and how do you develop a home run hitting ability like that? COACH SMITH: It doesn't really surprise me. He's a very talented vertical threat. I mean, where his development has really came has been in the throws that are more intermediate throws; the routes that are more intermediate routes. He's really taken steps in doing that. As far as the deep routes, he has a better understanding of how to lock a corner's hips or turn a guy opposite of where he's trying to go. So he's improved, but he's been a dynamic vertical threat since I got here. He can run, he can run straight line, and the steps he's made have been more at becoming a receiver as opposed to just a deep threat guy. Q. He had one in the red zone Saturday, but is he more effective when he has the ability to turn on the jets, than in the past ‑‑ I know you're talking about developing him now. COACH SMITH: I think he's become effective in pretty much in any part of the field. But a guy like that with vertical threat, where corners really have to honor him vertically, like you said, 41 yards a touchdown catch is kind of astounding.  And they see that on film, so once he has that threat, there is that fear of getting beat deep; everything else opens up. I mean, he's as effective anywhere on the field, but with that vertical threat, no different than any receiver. Any time a corner has the threat of a vertical pass, everything else is going to be better. Q. In four different games, you've had two different guys catch two touchdown passes. That keeps everybody happy. Just talk about that dynamic and the idea that your opponents have no idea who is going to be the go to guy any given day? COACH SMITH: It's probably the biggest thing we needed to do coming into this year is not just have Philly Brown and Devin Smith running vertical. We needed to establish a wider arsenal of skill players to use. So that was critical for us, because defenses can take away one guy, one position. But if they have to worry about across the board five skill players at every snap, everything opens up. That was something we really needed to do this year and fortunately it's happening so far. Q. In about 80 percent of the minutes your team has played this year, you've been up two touchdowns or more. To go into a game which figures to be 17‑13, whatever it could end up being, a tight game, competitive game; do you feel your guys are ready to put what they have been through already, the non‑competitive part of the season to get ready for this part of the season? COACH SMITH: That's kind of what our program is built around. Our program is not built to, you know, perform when you're up by 20. Our whole program is built around, all right, it's that competitive moment where you've got to either win the game or you lose the game, and that's what we've worked on for 12 months is who is going to perform when the pressure is on. Obviously we haven't seen it yet this year, but that's something‑‑ that's all we do is prepare our guys to respond to adversity, prepare our guys in a tight situation, pressure on, they have to make the play, they have to. We feel confident about it because that's what we've done for 12 months is prepare them for that. Q. What sticks out in your mind from last year's Wisconsin game? COACH SMITH: Carlos Hyde's touchdown in, I believe it was the fourth quarter.  Might have been overtime, I can't remember. But Carlos Hyde's run, we ran power and he was completely untouched from I think 20‑some yards out. Really, it's the play that sticks out the most in the whole season. It was a phenomenal job by the offensive line; I mean, really, anyone in this room could have ran it in. He was untouched through the A gap just like he was supposed to. And it was kind of the essence of the season was our offensive line carried us in that game and when it came to make a play like I just talked about, they made every block, did a great job and he went right in the end zone and we end up winning the game. Q. Evan Spencer was somebody who was mentioned probably the most out of anybody as one of the most improved players through preseason camp. Where have you seen the biggest leap in his development as a player, and was it nice to see him break through and get some scores here? COACH SMITH: Every aspect of his game has improved. He was always a very good kid who worked hard, but he's taken steps to improve the details of being a receiver, and that's in blocking on the perimeter. That's in running routes. That's in getting open on one‑on‑one coverage. He's improved every aspect of his game. It was great to see him go out and finally get in the end zone and that's been a lot of‑‑ that has had a lot to do with kind of the situation we've been in and what defenses were giving us as to why he didn't beforehand but he's very, very capable and it was good to see him do that. Q. What was it about him during fall camp that made him stand out from the rest as somebody‑‑ COACH SMITH: Probably just consistency. Not that other guys weren't consistent, but he went from somewhat inconsistent to a very consistent, accountable receiver; and it was a dramatic change from last year to this year where now he's a guy that you don't worry about him getting his job done. Matter of fact sometimes you place him somewhere because you know he will get his job done. And other guys like Philly. We feel, we have great confidence in him, but we started to towards the end of last year, also. So that's not a dramatic change, it's just kind of who he became, and Evan took that step this off‑season. Q. From your vantage point, how well did Kenny Guiton do Saturday? Looked like they were taking the deep stuff away from you guys, and just talk about the way he looked around the field. What was y'all's reaction to the way he sort of surveyed the thingand got the ball to the right guy? COACH SMITH: That's kind of Kenny's M.O. Coach Meyer I think called him a distributor. He's a guy that understands football very, very well, and he prepares himself really well. And so when we go out there, it's fun to watch. Fun to watch him just go through his reads progressionally and getting to the guy that the defense is giving him, and it's really awesome to watch. No better person to watch do it than him just because he's such a great kid, and you know he's prepared so hard and so well to do that. Q. You just touched on it a minute ago about watching Carlos go 20 yards untouched through the A‑gap. This seems like almost, my‑running‑game‑is‑better‑than‑your‑running‑game, kind of game. Do y'all approach it like that? Is there pride on the line from that standpoint going against Wisconsin which has the big‑time running attack? COACH SMITH: Yeah, I mean, I'm sure that Ed Warner would say that there's a little bit of pride on the line, especially because of stigmas that are associated with the spread offense and kind of untrue things that are said about the spread offense, as if they are all the same. Everyone knows Wisconsin's run attack and how it's a power run game and how that's kind of what they do. And this is‑‑ definitely, there's a little bit of pride in that that's what we do, too. We are a power run football team. It may be out of different sets; it may not be with a bunch of tight ends and fullbacks and everyone on the field. But we are still going to run right at you and hit you in the mouth, and we are going to run power football. So there's definitely some pride in that. Definitely we view this as a chance to just kind of show people that that's what we are and that's what we do. Q. As good a player as he is, what are the challenges of integrating Braxton back into what you do when he's played, basically one game and your entire offense has played four? COACH SMITH: I mean, I think there's definitely some comfort there with Braxton. We went threw all fall camp with him, all spring, and he's been our quarterback. There's not a whole lot of discomfort at integrating him back in. I think it's just now he's back healthy. He's been preparing every week as if he was going to play, and so it's not like he was gone for two weeks and just came back from vacation. He's been around and we have been ready for him to come back and whoever the quarterback is, we are ready for him. Q. Obviously this has been a pretty good rivalry with Ohio State and Wisconsin in recent years. Things have changed; do you miss Bret Bielema this week? (Laughter). COACH SMITH: Oh, Lord, you always miss great coaches, you know, you always do. Q. In this game, for any coach, how much do you think a team sort of adopts the personality of its head coach or plays, not just the style of football, but whether it's this team with Urban Meyer or Wisconsin with Gary Andersen or Bret Bielema, anybody; do teams follow the lead of their head coaches? COACH SMITH: Absolutely. I think the head coach sets the tone for the program, the mentality of the team, the attitude of the team. I think the head coach is the demeanor you see on Saturday. And no more evident than what we've done up to date here, just the intensity that we play with and the physical demeanor; that is who our head coach is and that's why we play that way. If you had a‑‑ what do they call it, a players' coach, that's just laid back and all‑‑ that's a lot of times what you get on the field, and that's not something we want and that's not something we would ever be. But I think that's ‑‑ I mean, 120 teams in the country all have the demeanor and personality of their head coach. I think that's consistent throughout the country. Q. You were with Urban at Bowling Green and you were with him at Florida; is the atmosphere around this program the same as it was or are there any differences? COACH SMITH: I think it's very similar. He's obviously changed over the years just as everyone in the room has. It's very similar. The program has not changed. The program has been successful since he first took a head coaching job in 2001. The core foundation of the program is the same as when I walked into Bowling Green at 18 years old. But obviously there's been developments, enhancements that‑‑ I don't know that year‑to‑year you can notice that many differences but from 2001 to 2013, there's been definite change. Q. What are some of those core things that have kind of led to that success? COACH SMITH: The foundation? Q. Yeah. COACH SMITH: Just what I talked about. Just how the whole program is structured; how everything we do based on developing the mentality and demeanor of the team, just the competitive nature. Really what Coach Meyer calls competitive excellence, when pressure is on, you're going to make a play to win the game because you've been put in that situation for 12 months and that's something that's never changed. And then obviously the core values that we live by and believe in, that we think are absolutely critical to a good football team and a good person and a good player. Q. You were talking about power running games, I wanted to ask you about Midwestern football; is there still such a thing as Midwestern football? Has it changed and is it still viable in the modern game? COACH SMITH: You mean as far as I‑Formation, run game; the stereotypical Midwest offense is what you're talking about? Q. Or however you take it, but yeah. COACH SMITH: I don't know that it's changed really nationwide. You watch some of these teams like LSU, how many teams are there running a power run game. That is an essence of football that really I don't know that will ever change. You're going to have your basketball‑on‑grass offenses and all these radar‑crazy defenses, and those things are kind of flavor of the month. But as far as tried‑and‑true, year‑in, year‑out, that will stand the test of time, I think a toughness element in your scheme, in your program and your offense and your defense is the only lasting factor. So I think it's changing; it's evolving. There's different ways to do it, different ways to get to it but I think that's something that's never going to change, that toughness, the power run game, the defense that's built on the D‑line. Those are things that are universal. Q. When you have two quarterbacks, play calling can change a little bit. Curious how it effects your coaching the receivers, do the routes adjust a little bit or do you worry about blocking more with Braxton because he'll run a bit more? COACH SMITH: Our offense really doesn't change a ton. There may be certain plays that we like better with Braxton or that we like better with Kenny or that we like better with whoever. But as far as coaching the receivers, it's really no different. I mean, there's going to be perimeter runs. There's going to be interior runs. There's going to be drop‑back passes, break‑contain. That stuff is not that much different. I don't coach them any different‑‑ I won't coach them any different than I did last week or the week before when Braxton was or was not playing. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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