Ohio State Football: How Urban Meyer suspension impacts Buckeyes’ first three games
By Zach Bigalke
If there is one contest where not having Urban Meyer on the sideline could prove costly, it is the upcoming showdown with TCU at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. The Horned Frogs are among the Big 12 contenders in a wide-open conference this year, and they will boast far more coaching experience when these two teams meet.
Gary Patterson has been at the helm in Fort Worth since 2000. In that span, he has helped lead TCU from the WAC to Conference USA to the Mountain West and now the Big 12. Patterson is a master tactician, especially when it comes to his defenses. The unit lost five starters from last year but should remain one of the top 25 or so defensive groups in the country.
Where TCU will probably have issues against Ohio State is on offense. Nine starters are gone from last year’s squad, including quarterback Kenny Hill. After averaging 33 points per game last year, the Horned Frogs are due for some regression back to the mean when they have the ball. But Patterson and his staff will have the upper hand in coaching around those deficiencies.
This neutral-site game, like the Ohio State-Oklahoma battles the past few years, will set up the winner as a College Football Playoff contender. Losing Meyer for the first two games of the season won’t have much impact, but his absence could prove costly against Patterson’s Horned Frogs. If Ohio State manages to eke out a victory, it will require a late go-ahead score in a low-scoring battle.
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Where losing Meyer hurts most is going to be on offense. As the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Ryan Day is going to have a lot to juggle over the first quarter of the season. With Dwayne Haskins taking over from longtime starter J.T. Barrett at quarterback, that split focus could stunt his early development and cost the Buckeyes some points.
That said, Meyer got off with a relatively light punishment given the facts of the matter. And while Meyer’s absence could cost the Buckeyes against TCU, they should, for the most part, keep chugging along as a Big Ten favorite once again.