Meyer has to 'monitor' his health
Medical episode at Indiana game isn’t a new situation for Buckeyes coach.
Ohio State coach Urban Meyer reiterated Monday he is fine after experiencing a brief medical episode late in the Buckeyes’ win over Indiana on Saturday afternoon.
Meyer dropped to his knees holding his head with 12:21 to play in the 49-26 win over Indiana.
“I’ve been dealing with that cyst for many years and we had that surgery several years ago,” Meyer said, referring to a 2014 procedure to remove fluid from a cyst that had been causing him headaches. “When it does take place, it’s just ‘give me some medicine and I feel fine now.’ Just something I’ve got to monitor.”
Meyer’s cyst has been known about for quite some time.
He told Sports Illustrated about it when he was still coach at Florida in 2010, at which time the Palm Beach Post reported, “fortunately for University of Florida football coach Urban Meyer and for the millions of others who have arachnoid cysts, the condition is not life-threatening.”
Neurosurgeon Robert Brodner told the paper an arachnoid cyst is “a benign cyst on the membrane tissue that covers the brain. They occur congenitally in about 5 to 6 percent of the population — with the vast majority being asymptomatic.”
When there are symptoms — such as Meyer’s headaches — they are a result of the cyst growing from the absorption of
spinal fluid. That can exert pressure on the part of the brain closest to the cyst, and stress can sometimes cause the symptoms to materialize as headaches, vomiting or trouble walking.
The cyst can be removed surgically, or fluid can be removed from it if it is in a spot near the brain that makes removing it dangerous.
Although news Meyer had a surgical procedure on his head caused some commotion four years ago, the story had been quiet until this summer.
A report commissioned by the university to investigate Meyer’s handling of domestic abuse allegations against former assistant coach Zach Smith found “Meyer sometimes has significant memory issues” and that a medication the coach takes periodically “can negatively impair his memory, concentration and focus.”
When asked about that later, Meyer said, “There’s things in that report that are very transparent and very thorough, the relativeness to the investigation, but I can just be truthful and tell you I’ve had some pretty heavy meds at times, but it certainly doesn’t impact the way I coach.”
Asked Monday if he has considered having another procedure for the cyst, Meyer replied, “I’ll get by with what we’re doing.”
Quarterback honored again: Sooner or later the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week award might have to be named for Dwayne Haskins.
The Ohio State quarterback received the honor for the third consecutive week, this time after throwing for 455 yards in a 49-26 win over Indiana. The sophomore from Maryland, who tied school records with 33 completions (on 44 attempts) and six touchdown passes, has won the award four times in the season’s first six weeks.
That leaves Haskins one shy of the single-season record of five Big Ten OPOY honors set by Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith in 2006. Smith won the Heisman Trophy that season.
Mark your calendar: Ohio State announced Monday the start time for the Buckeyes’ game at Purdue on Oct. 20. The first meeting between the schools since 2013 will kick off at 7:30 p.m. and be broadcast by ABC. That will mark the third time in three games away from home Ohio State will play at night.
The Buckeyes beat TCU 40-28 in Arlington, Texas, in week three and won 27-26 at Penn State on Sept. 29.
Ohio State leads the alltime series with the Boilermakers 40-13-2 and won the 2013 meeting 56-0. That ended a two-game losing streak for the Buckeyes in West Lafayette.