COLUMBUS — His locker room filled with tears and discontent, Urban Meyer went home Saturday feeling sick.
“A sleepless night,” the Ohio State coach said.
The next morning, however, Meyer awoke to discover the apocalypse had not arrived.
Michigan week was here, and he knew nothing could cleanse the broken scarlet soul quite like The Game. As a nation waits to see if Ohio State splinters or pulls together after its stunning 17-14 loss to Michigan State, a chance for redemption awaits on Saturday in Ann Arbor.
“The one thing that’s going to really make me feel better is getting that fourth pair of gold pants,” linebacker Joshua Perry said.
The Buckeyes said they are moving on, past both a defeat that likely ended their dreams of a repeat national title and the firestorm that followed. No. 8 Ohio State (10-1, 6-1 Big Ten) is looking for its fourth straight victory against 12th-ranked Michigan (9-2, 6-1) — and if Michigan State also loses at home to Penn State later in the day — a third consecutive trip to the Big Ten championship game.
Star running back Ezekiel Elliott began the process Sunday by apologizing to Meyer for blistering the coaching staff in a postgame news conference — though not for what he said.
Meyer, in fact, agreed with the criticism of the Buckeyes’ conservative play-calling, saying only that he wished the gripes remained in house. Instead, Elliott’s commentary (“We weren’t put in the right situations to win”) and awkwardly timed NFL announcement (“There’s no chance of me coming back”) fueled a national narrative of the Buckeyes as a team of mercenary stars.
Meyer said that he will not punish Elliott.
“Very isolated incident,” he said. “We have a three-year bank on Zeke. He’s a very honest guy. Frustration, anger, all of that, probably mounted up, and I couldn’t disagree with his comments. He should have got the ball a little bit more. But that’s not the place to do it. He knows that.”
Elliott — whose 12-carry, 33-yard performance against the Spartans snapped a string of 15 straight 100-yard rushing games — stood by his objections on Monday but apologized for causing a distraction.
“I am sorry for all those offended by the statements made by me Saturday after our loss,” he posted on Twitter. “My intentions were not to point fingers at anyone for OUR failure. I was caught up in emotions.
“I hope everyone can understand how strongly I love this team and this university and how much I wanted to win that game, but I do not regret anything I said.”
Elliott’s teammates stood behind him.
“I think he said what a lot of people were scared to say,” defensive end Joey Bosa said. “He said what was on his heart. It may have been wrong in the moment, but it’s what he felt like he needed to say.
“He has contributed so much to this program. He gives everything he has every single day. When he feels he’s not being put in the position after everything he does for this program, he just said how he felt. I’m not saying I feel the same way or we feel the same way. It’s just said and done.”
Meyer said his focus is instead on the root of Elliott’s comments.
The worst offensive performance ever by a Meyer-coached team brought to a head mounting concerns. An offense once expected to be the best in college football has badly regressed, to the point where the Buckeyes of 2015 (49th in total offense) are less prolific than their predecessors of 2012 — a comparatively Paleolithic operation Meyer likes to say had two plays: “Braxton [Miller] right and Braxton left.”
A year after Ohio State seared Michigan State’s eighth-ranked defense for 568 yards and 25 first downs in a 49-37 win, the Buckeyes bothered its 46th-ranked defense for 132 yards and five first downs Saturday. Most perplexing, OSU called about as many quarterback draws with J.T. Barrett as handoffs to its Heisman Trophy-contender running back.
Elliott’s criticism of “the play-caller” could be read at a swipe at Meyer, offensive coordinator Ed Warinner, and first-year co-offensive coordinator — and, technically, the play-caller — Tim Beck.
Glance at the message boards, and the talk has moved past debating the merits of Beck to speculation on who will replace him.
But Meyer on Monday again pointed the finger only at himself, including for Elliott’s limited use. Even with Michigan State paying Barrett’s arm no respect in the driving rain and crowding the line, Meyer said OSU should have rode Elliott.
“In hindsight, feed him,” he said. “He has a way of making yards.”
Of the play-calling, Meyer said, “Not very good. I have to do better.”
Did he regret not using his veto power more Saturday?
“Yes.”
Meyer said he will be more involved in the play-calling at Michigan, but he knows there are no easy answers. Like everyone else, Meyer wonders how the offense careened so far off track.
“Yeah. Wondering is probably not the correct word if you’re the head coach,” he said. “You should probably have a more firm answer. But if it was something that was firm or singular, you would fix it immediately. There’s a variety of things.
“What I’m doing right now is putting every ounce of ability, every ounce of energy and focus, into trying to win this game.”
The Game.
McMILLAN HONORED: Sophomore linebacker Raekwon McMillan was named one of five finalists for the Butkus Award, which is given to the nation’s top college linebacker.
McMillan — who leads the Buckeyes with 105 tackles — made the final cut along with Georgia’s Leonard Floyd, Louisiana State’s Deion Jones, Alabama’s Reggie Ragland, and Notre Dame’s Jaylon Smith.
Contact David Briggs at: dbriggs@theblade.com, 419-724-6084 or on Twitter @DBriggsBlade.
First Published November 24, 2015, 5:31 a.m.
