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Urban Meyer didn’t provide many answers in his post-game press conference following Ohio State’s 55-24 loss to Iowa on Saturday. Most questions were answered with an “I don’t know” as he tried to piece together what had just happened.
During his weekly meeting with the media on Monday, Meyer had a little bit more to offer. After watching the film, he was able to see where the Buckeyes played poorly and how things got out of hand at Kinnick Stadium.
Meyer said that poor play at the line of scrimmage, missed tackles and ill-timed penalties were the main reason behind Ohio State’s embarrassing loss.
“This was one of the first games I feel like we didn’t control the line of scrimmage,” Meyer said on Monday.
He also offered a few other thoughts on the outcome Saturday.
Meyer on defensive issues vs Iowa: "Missed tackles and this was one of first games I feel we didn't control line of scrimmage."
— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) November 6, 2017
Meyer said LBs did not play well, particularly in pass coverage, vs Iowa after playing very well against Penn State.
— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) November 6, 2017
Meyer said inability to get off field on third downs, especially because of penalties, was damaging.
— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) November 6, 2017
Ohio State, which has struggled with penalties all season, had nine penalties for 95 yards on Saturday.
In addition to all the line of scrimmage and defensive woes, J.T. Barrett also threw four interceptions after going six-straight games without a pick.
Meyer’s observations and comments provide a little more clarity to how Ohio State imploded against Iowa on Saturday, but it’s still a performance everyone will be scratching their head about for the rest of the season.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB