Ohio State’s repeat national championship bid is off the rails.
The Buckeyes have lost focus. They’ve gotten fat and happy. They’re still celebrating last year instead of honing in on this year.
If you want to be an alarmist (or a hopeful fan of an Ohio State rival), you can take that stance after the jarring news at Big Ten media days Thursday that four Buckeyes will miss the season opener at Virginia Tech on Sept. 7. The players’ offense is the old reliable, “violation of athletic department policy.” The suspended list includes potentially the No. 1 defensive player in the nation, end Joey Bosa, and a pair of playmaking hybrid backs/receivers/return men in Jalin Marshall and Dontre Wilson.
Personally, I don’t believe Ohio State’s title defense is up in smoke. I don’t believe this is symptom of a complacency cancer eating at the program. I don’t believe you can interpret this as a sign of a great comeuppance in Columbus.
That would be an overreaction, and it would ignore the larger truth: the Buckeyes are too deep and talented and well-coached to be derailed by a minor outbreak of knucklehead behavior. Even against a quality opponent like Virginia Tech, on the road, Ohio State can get by for a game without a few stars.
“We’re going to be really good,” said linebacker Joshua Perry, “regardless of who’s on the field.”
Added offensive tackle Taylor Decker: “The guys we’ve recruited could have gone anywhere in the country. So I’m not worried about who’s out on the field.”
More than likely, this is just a case of four guys who got stupid and got caught – possibly twice. On a team of 100 players, popular math suggests that’s not an excessive number. The concern is more with the quality of player in trouble than the quantity.
These are guys who should be transitioning into leadership roles. And with a leadership-obsessed coach like Urban Meyer, this can’t sit well.
Meyer has won big before with his fair share of questionable characters (see: Florida). But all coaches want to come into these summer media confabs extolling the intangible virtues of their teams – the unity, the chemistry, the work ethic. They don’t want to spend their time talking about who’s suspended for the opener.
The default word they use is “distractions.” Coaches hate distractions more than they hate halftime interviews when trailing by two touchdowns.
“There's no perfect team,” Meyer said. “There's no perfect program. And everyone deals with stuff. You know, when you're Ohio State or some of these other big-time programs, stuff becomes a major deal. And this is.”
But Meyer then listed three reasons why this self-described major deal is not really a major deal. He said the team had “the highest graduation rate in the history of Ohio State football.” He said the reports from strength coach Mickey Marotti about summer weight-room work have been good. He said his social-media scouts have detected few flare-ups.
“The indicators, other than this, have been not good,” Meyer said. “They’ve been great.”
Decker backed that up: “I understand the perception [that the suspensions are a sign of trouble], but I’m in that locker room and I’m not seeing it.”
Fact is, Ohio State already may have mitigated the Mother of All Distractions – a three-way quarterback controversy – with the reported move of Braxton Miller to wide receiver. That takes the QB logjam down to just two, J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones, and should lead to one fewer unhappy camper sitting on the bench watching someone else play.
Miller’s challenge will be going from a position he’s played forever to a position he’s played never, and learning the intricacies of it. Now more than ever, he will be needed in that first game.
“Go out and run routes – I’ve seen him do that, and it’s a ‘Wow,’ " Meyer said. “But how does he do with a very good player on top of him?”
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| Ohio State will be without defensive end Joey Bosa and three others in its season-opener. |
If Miller figures that out well enough to get on the field – and Meyer said he’ll coach him personally on receiver mechanics – the possibilities are endless. Having two accomplished quarterbacks in the lineup opens a new vista of available gadgetry, limited only by the imagination.
“It’s pretty intriguing,” Meyer said. “For a guy who doodles [plays] all day, I’m like a child. It’s pretty exciting.”
The catch will be deciding which of the other two QBs starts. And although Job No. 1 for the Buckeyes starter will still be handing off to stud back Ezekiel Elliott, there is no more intriguing position battle in college football than this one.
Barrett remains more the Meyer soulmate – a steely leader and football obsessive – while Jones is the goofy guy with the greater physical talents. Jones also is the guy who started the three biggest games of last season – Big Ten title game, College Football Playoff semifinal, and the national championship game – and won them all.
It’s tough to put that guy on the bench. But then again, can you bench a guy who finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting (Barrett)?
To sort it out, Meyer is trying to rely on rigorously empirical data. No going with the gut. Grade everything and let the decision be more objective than subjective.
“Basically,” Meyer said, “we’re keeping score of everything.”
Right now, the overall score on this Ohio State team is a minus-four. The defending champs will be without four key players in Blacksburg, Va., on Labor Day night. But barring any further evidence of off-field issues, any belief that the Buckeyes have lost their championship edge is premature.
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