COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State coach Urban Meyer fielded two questions more than any other this spring.
The first question, the one with three choices at quarterback, will have a final answer in training camp. The second, however, doesn’t come with a tangible value no matter how many times it’s addressed.
How do you avoid complacency and repeat as national champions?
“At this point I am watching that very closely,” Meyer said before Saturday’s spring game. “I’ve been in situations where complacency and entitlement seep into the program, but I’ve not seen it yet.”
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Complacency never comes from the outside at Ohio State. That’s not just reflected in the 99,391 fans that showed up Saturday for the spring game. Rewind one week to Student Appreciation Day, when only a handful of 1,000-plus students budged when the loud-speaker announced that fajita food trucks had arrived with lunch.
That can wait. Jones is on the practice field taking first-team reps.
Inside the program is a process. Meyer left the spring game with, as he put it, “His mind spinning a bit.” The team didn’t improve, but several individuals did. How do you grade the spring?
“Eh. What’s eh?,” Meyer asked. “Eh. I’d rather go individually, and that's what I just did. But as a team, I don’t know if I’ve had a spring like this one, and I do feel good because we’re going to be at full strength.”
That’s a fair assessment. Ezekiel Elliott, J.T. Barrett, Braxton Miller, Dontre Wilson and Michael Thomas didn’t play Saturday. Meyer, however, was quick to point out nobody else got hurt.
The spring won’t change those expectations heading into the 2015 season. Ohio State will be ranked No. 1 by most publications and favored to repeat. Jones, Elliott and defensive end Joey Bosa are projected first-round picks for 2016. The quarterback question will dominate the headlines, but who takes the snaps might not matter.
These Buckeyes are loaded. Taylor Decker, Joshua Perry and Adolphus Washington are back. Raekwon McMillan, Eli Apple, Curtis Samuel and Jalin Marshall were praised throughout the spring. Another flurry of high-profile recruits committed last week. The roll call goes on and on ...
“It’s pretty deep,” Perry said. “It might be the deepest we’ve had since we’ve been here.”
This team is built to repeat. Look at the last two teams to do that. USC (2003-04) and Alabama (2011-12) were loaded, too. Meyer crafted something that is a mix between Pete Carroll’s fun-fun-fun Trojans and Nick Saban's Death Star. There's swagger in Columbus, but it comes with a business-first approach.
Just listen to the players. Asked about the personalities in the meeting room, cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs laughed. Yet they bring an acute level of self-awareness that is comfortable in the spotlight.
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The Buckeyes are everywhere right now, and the White House is the next stop. You see it on social media. You see it on TV with Jones calling out Notre Dame in an interview with ESPN. You hear it when offensive lineman Billy Price lets you know he improved with 1,176 snaps last season.
This team knows how to measure where it’s at, and how to flip that switch. Safety Tyvis Powell intercepted his roommate Jones and let everyone know, “I had to show him why I’m dad and he’s son.” Powell then lowered his voice when taking the next question.
“Everybody knows we have high expectations,” Powell said. “We’re trying to complete those. If we don’t get better as a team, then we’re in trouble.”
Meyer’s plan to avoid trouble is like any other business model. Start with a mission statement. “The Chase” is replaced by “The Grind,” a sign that hangs in the rafters of the Woody Hayes Athletic Complex. The goal? Meyer calls it, “Clarity of purpose.” Apple, one of those breakout candidates, hears that message.
"We get a great joy from working hard,” Apple said. “That's what really differentiates us from other teams. We love doing this. That's why you see that big sign over there; you have to embrace ‘The Grind.' We know it's going to be tough, but hey, we like it like that.”
This Ohio State team isn’t going to sneak up on anybody this time. The complacency question will get answered right away with a Labor Day opener at Virginia Tech, the only team that has beat a Meyer-coached Buckeyes team in the regular season through the last three years.
The answer to the second question comes in nine parts. Meyer wants a team that is “nine strong.” The quarterbacks are only one of those nine units. That’s only one question. As Meyer sees it, eight more need answered. There’s the tangible proof he’s looking for.
From there, we’ll find out if the Buckeyes can avoid complacency and win that second straight national title.
“I've done it two other times, this would be the third time we've tried to repeat,” Meyer said. “We don't even have conversation about that around here; we just try to get 'nine strong.' We get 'nine strong;' we have a chance to compete in every game.”
