Meyer says he’s fine after dealing with headache issues
Urban Meyer drew concern from all watching on Saturday when he dropped to his knees early in the fourth quarter due to a headache, but the Ohio State coach reiterated Monday he is fine as the No. 3 Buckeyes prepare for Saturday’s noon game with Minnesota.
But the discomfort, severe at times, is caused by an arachnoid cyst — located inside his skull within the membrane covering his brain — which can swell from time to time, often brought on by stress. Meyer had a surgical procedure in spring 2014 to drain the cyst and relieve swelling, and he was back on the practice field a couple of days later for spring drills.
“I’ve been dealing with that cyst for many years, and we had the surgery several years ago,” Meyer said. “And when it does take place, it’s just, you know, they give me some medicine and I feel fine now. It’s just something I’ve got to monitor.”
Meyer said at the moment he has no plans to have another surgical procedure.
“I’ll get by with what we’re doing,” he said.
Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr., who came up 3 yards short of the school’s game record for passing yards Saturday against Indiana, was named the Big Ten offensive player of the week for the second straight week, and fourth time this season.
The third-year sophomore from Potomac, Maryland, threw for 455 yards — the school record is 458 set by Art Schlichter in a 1981 loss to Florida State — and six touchdowns in the Buckeyes’ 49-26 win. The six TD passes tied the school record shared by Kenny Guiton and J.T. Barrett (twice).
Haskins now leads the nation in touchdown passes (25), is third in passing yards (1,919) and fifth in passing efficiency (190.8 rating).
Interestingly, he thought the offense could have played better against the Hoosiers, especially in the first half.
“I thought it was pretty solid,” Haskins said of the outing, but added the team still has “things to work on. That’s just the game we play, not everything is going to be perfect. We’ve just got to be able to deal with that.
“And even though we know that we won the game, there are things we’ve got to work on, of course, but be satisfied with the ‘W,’ and looking forward to playing Minnesota.”
The status of linebacker Malik Harrison and defensive end Jonathon Cooper will be evaluated as the week progresses, Meyer said Monday. The two reportedly were put in concussion protocol after a collision Saturday at the end of the same play — Harrison’s attempted return of a two-point conversion pass interception — in the third quarter.
The Buckeyes will play a third straight primetime road game when they travel to Purdue on Oct. 20. The Big Ten announced on Monday that ABC will televise the game, coming on the air at 7:30 p.m. with the kickoff at approximately 7:45, just like OSU’s win at Penn State two weeks ago. Before that, the Buckeyes’ win over TCU at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Sept.15 was in prime time.