NORMAN, Okla.: Ohio State coach Urban Meyer’s trepidation was tangible.
So, too, was that of defensive coordinator Luke Fickell.
Meyer admitted when he left Columbus on Friday with 30 freshmen, 15 of them redshirts, he had no idea what kind of effort he would get.
OSU has just six returning starters, fewest among the 128 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision. It was the first road game of the season for the then-No. 3-ranked Buckeyes, and they were facing 14th-ranked Oklahoma before a record crowd of 87,979 in Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
Fickell was also struggling to keep his fear in check. The night before and during the 90-minute thunderstorm delay before kickoff, Fickell worried if the young Buckeyes could tackle the Sooners’ big, bruising running backs. It was one thing to stop Bowling Green’s or Tulsa’s rushing attack, quite another to keep the Sooners’ 5-foot-10, 235-pound Samaje Perine in check. A third-team All-America last season, Perine hopes to break Billy Sims’ school record of 4,118 career yards.
Meyer and Fickell will sleep much better during this bye week, if they can contain their excitement.
Ohio State could not have answered questions about its inexperience more emphatically. The Buckeyes roared to an 18-point halftime lead and pounded the Sooners 45-24 Saturday night.
“From the opening kickoff, our guys swung as hard as they could,” Meyer said. “So they’re no longer the youngest team.”
Asked if this was a coming-of-age game, Meyer answered, “This was THE coming of age game.”
Since Meyer is calculated in everything he says, the emphasis he put on THE conveyed the confidence he gained in his team, at least after this step in the journey. A loss would not have eliminated the Buckeyes from the College Football Playoff race, but the goal of winning OSU’s second national championship in three years took a huge step forward.
What Meyer didn’t know is that some of his younger players who sat on the bench last season are hungry. They believe they were capable of making an impact in 2015, but were forced to wait until 12 starters were chosen in the NFL Draft last year.
Meyer also might have underestimated the maturity of his “old guys,” quarterback J.T. Barrett, right guard Billy Price, linebacker Raekwon McMillan and cornerback Gareon Conley. Saturday night he called them “outstanding.”
What Fickell was most proud of afterward was how the Buckeyes handled their 35-17 halftime lead. He said they didn’t come to the locker room crowing about their individual achievements, such as sophomore linebacker Jerome Baker’s 68-yard interception return for a touchdown. Baker wasn’t slated to start this season, but has taken over after Dante Booker sprained the medial collateral ligament in his right knee.
“The tenacity, the ability to come in at halftime and not be satisfied one bit,” Fickell said of what struck him. “Having some young guys step up. Jerome Baker makes a big play, but it was nothing about him at halftime. Nobody was focused on anything they had to do, just what do we have to do.”
Had Meyer been speaking that would have been a capital WE.
Perhaps Fickell was thinking back to 2014, or even from something he saw in on one of his OSU teams. But he noticed what he called “the signs.”
“I told someone earlier in the year if you watch the sidelines of this team in the first three or four or five weeks, just to see how guys interact with each other, how they handle the adverse situations, you’ll know a lot about our team,” Fickell said. “I think we passed a big test tonight.”
Some wanted to turn the victory at Oklahoma into a statement game, insisting that Ohio State delivered a message to the nation. Such questions might have been sparked from the sight of McMillan and Marshon Lattimore running off the field with a “Basic Defense” sign they’d highjacked from an OSU fan. It was a reference to OU backup quarterback Austin Kendall’s practice week diss.
Sophomore defensive end Sam Hubbard wouldn’t comment on the “basic” controversy again, letting his “Say less” tweet in response speak for itself. Nor did he overemphasize the impact of winning at Oklahoma.
“It’s our first real test, and we’re glad to have it under our belt as a jumping off point,” Hubbard said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do. We know we can hang with anybody in the country now, so we’re going to keep building.”
Snubs might provide motivation, but wisely the “old guys” will keep the focus on strengthening their internal bond.
“I’m really not worried about the message we’re trying to send,” Barrett said. “We’re worrying about getting better and ‘Love our team, love one another and play for each other.’ ”
Internally, Meyer might have been euphoric. But he knows what another national title run will require and acknowledged, “It’s a long journey.”
Barrett made sure his words didn’t squelch his young teammates’ enthusiasm and confidence.
“We still have some growing pains to go through, but I think we’re at a good place right now,” he said.
All surely realized the Buckeyes’ coming-of-age moment and how important it might be to achieve what they seek in January. To that end, a rainy night in Norman could prove to be the turning point.
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her blog at www.ohio.com/marla. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ.