Ohio State Football: 6 Reasons OSU Will Beat Michigan

Nov 21, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer talks to his team during warmups prior to the Buckeyes

Urban Meyer Hasn’t Lost The Team

The narrative coming out Columbus following the Michigan State loss was that Meyer had lost the locker room. Ezekiel Elliott, Meyer’s star running back, threw the offensive coaching staff under the bus for horrible play calling decisions, and stated that he pleaded with his head coach for more touches.

While it’s easy to jump to those conclusions, perhaps a little perspective is needed.

Elliott was clearly frustrated, and was speaking in the heat of the moment. Additionally, his emotions had to be ramped up because he likely knew it was his last game in The Horseshoe.

Meyer is still an incredible 48-4 while coaching the Buckeyes, and as Washington Post writer John Feinstein wrote, “A turkey gets pardoned at the White House as often as Meyer and Ohio State lose a football game.”

Feinstein also contends that Meyer did the right thing following the loss in agreeing with Ezekiel Elliott‘s assessment that he needed to carry the ball more.

"“Meyer has won three national championships, most recently last season. He’s often been criticized for not disciplining players more sternly when they’ve gotten into trouble off the field. In this case, he did the right thing by not criticizing or punishing Elliott for his outburst.”"

In A Tweet-Centric world, it’s easy to jump to definitive conclusions without having the facts. Perhaps Elliott was just speaking out, and Meyer realized his mistake.

Next: Lots & Lots Of Zeke