Urban Meyer: There is 'urgency' within Ohio State following loss to Purdue
Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said Tuesday there are things that “need to be fixed” in the wake of the No. 11 Buckeyes’ blowout loss to Purdue.
Meyer made the comment Tuesday about his staff’s urgency to make corrections when he was asked about a website’s report that there was “friction” between Meyer and athletic director Gene Smith. He said there was no tension between the two and that he talks to his athletic director on a near-daily basis. He did say, however, there was “urgency” within the football staff.
“There are things that need to be fixed,” Meyer said on the Big Ten conference call. “I wouldn’t call it tension, I would call it day-to-day going to work and working on your weaknesses and getting it fixed. There’s no tension – urgency is what I would call it.”
Meyer and Smith were suspended in August for their roles in handling domestic violence allegations against former assistant coach Zach Smith. Meyer said Aug. 3, before he was officially suspended and while he was on a leave of absence as Ohio State conducted an investigation, that he had always followed proper reporting protocols.
Zach Smith tweeted Tuesday that the criminal trespass charge against him had been dropped and he had agreed to a mutual protection order with his ex-wife Courtney Smith. That’s not entirely accurate. Per college football reporter Brett McMurphy, Zach Smith agreed to plead guilty to disorderly conduct as part of a plea deal on the charge and the protection order is for three years.
Smith was charged with criminal trespassing in May and his wife obtained a protection order against him in July. That protection order led to the revelation of a 2015 allegation of domestic abuse against Smith, his firing from Ohio State, and the investigation into what Meyer and Gene Smith knew about the allegations.
The biggest priorities for fixing at Ohio State seem to be the team’s running game and defensive backfield. Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins threw the ball 73 times in the loss to Purdue as the running game gained 76 yards on 25 carries. It was the fourth straight game Ohio State had rushed three yards per carry or fewer.
The Buckeyes also allowed 539 yards to the Boilermakers. It was the second straight game Ohio State had given up over seven yards a play and the Buckeyes have given up over five yards per play in five of their seven games so far this season.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
Follow @NickBromberg on Twitter
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