‘Lots of cardio’ during Buckeyes’ bye week
No. 2 Ohio State used the time to prepare for a demanding Big Ten schedule.
The Ohio State COLUMBUS — Buckeyes were riding high after their 45-24 victory at Oklahoma on Sept. 17. Only one thing could slow their momentum: The bye week.
The No. 2 Buckeyes (3-0) return to action at noon today against Rutgers (2-2, 0-1) at Ohio Stadium, and they expect to pick up right where they left off in Norman, Okla.
“Coach (Urban) Meyer did a great job of making sure we weren’t rusty,” right guard Billy Price said. “We practiced our butts off.”
What did the Buckeyes focus on?
“Cardio,” Price said. “Lots of cardio.”
Ohio State will need the extra conditioning to survive the next nine weeks. Here are seven things to know about the first of nine
straight games in Big Ten play: 1. Cornerback rotation: In preparation for a long season, Ohio State is playing three cornerbacks. Marshon Lattimore, Denzel Ward and Gareon Conley split time.
Conley is healthy after leaving the Oklahoma game with an injury. All three will play against Rutgers. Cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs expects them to get 500600 snaps during the regular season instead of 1,000.
“I think it’s worked fantastic for the players,” Coombs said. “I know it’s worked extremely well for the team defense. You decide to do it when you have good enough players to do it, and we do. We have guys with similar abilities and talent levels. Being able to stay fresh and play hard through a long season is important.”
2. Brown’s encore: Noah Brown caught four touchdown passes against Oklahoma, tying a school record. He continues to show just what Ohio State missed when he broke his leg just before the start of the 2015 season.
“That was a tough injury, devastating,” Meyer said. “Everyone here loves him so much. He was 240 pounds in the national championship game. We put a plan together to get him down to 220-222 pounds, and he did it. Him and Mike Thomas were our top receivers going into the 2015 season, and the week before (the opener), he got hurt.”
3. Big plays: Ohio State’s defense has returned four interceptions for touchdowns. One more will break the school record.
“We just have some really good athletes that can take the ball and run with it,” Coombs said. “Marshon was an outstanding receiver and returner in high school, and Malik Hooker was a dominant basketball player, maybe the best in the state of Pennsylvania. Jerome Baker, you all saw the catch he made in the spring game. I think it’s just gifted athletes who end up with the ball in their hands, and they know where the end zone is and they go really fast to get there.” 4. Many connections: New Rutgers coach Chris Ash, who spent the past two seasons as Ohio State’s co-defensive coordinator, isn’t the only member of Rutgers’ staff with ties to Ohio State. Seven other coaches have worked at Ohio State: offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Drew Mehringer; special teams coordinator/tight ends coach Vince Okruch; defensive backs coach Bill Busch; running backs coach Zach Kuhr; strength coach Kenny Parker; defensive quality control assistant Adam Weber; and director of recruiting Adam Caltury.
5. Tough week: Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano also has a connection to Rutgers. He was the head coach there from 200111 and won several national coach of the year awards in 2006 when Rutgers was 11-2.
Schiano was cited this week for failure to obey a traffic-control device. He hit a bicyclist with his car Sept. 22. The bicyclist was treated and released at a local hospital, according to the Columbus Dispatch. Meyer said Schiano was devastated by the accident.
6. Hard to beat: Meyer is 44-3 when he has more than one week to prepare for a game. That includes season openers, games after bye weeks and bowl games.
“It has nothing to do with a bye week,” Ash said. “He’s won a lot of games. He’s won a lot of games at home, a lot of games on the road, a lot of games coming out of bye weeks. It’s just about his method, his process, his attention to detail and the preparation and the players that he has.”
7. Bruce’s return: This is homecoming weekend for Ohio State, and former Ohio State coach Earle Bruce will dot the “I” during Script Ohio.
“Obviously, I love coach Bruce,” Meyer said. “He’s like a father to me. There’s a lot of things he taught myself, this program, about right from wrong, no gray areas and doing things the right way.”