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Urban Meyer on starters playing in blowout: I didn’t want it to turn into a clown show
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Urban Meyer doesn’t care about the score of the game, he wants his team to play crisp, clean football for all four quarters. He made his point loud and clear during — and after — Saturday’s game against Illinois.
Ohio State jumped out to a big lead early in the game, allowing Meyer to give more playing time to some players who might not see the field too often. While the head coach certainly wants his young guys to earn game experience, he also doesn’t want to be embarrassed. That rule applies in blowout games, as well.
After the second-team offense took the field, quarterback Dwayne Haskins fumbled and Illinois scooped and scored to make the score 38-7 in the second half. That one play was enough for Meyer to send his first-team back onto the field for another series.
When asked why he did it in his post-game press conference, Meyer was very blunt with his response.
“I was just pissed,” Meyer said. “I didn’t want it to turn into a clown show, which it looked like it for a minute. I’ve got to give Dwayne a lot of credit to bounce back after that.”
Haskins finished the day completing 5-of-8 passes for 77 yards and a touchdown as the Buckeyes went on to beat the Illini 52-14.
So, just a word to the wise, if you want to get on the field for Meyer, you better not make him look bad. He has no problem finding someone to replace you.
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