OSU spring game
Who: Scarlet vs. Gray
Where: Ohio Stadium
When: 1:30 p.m. Saturday
TV: Big Ten Network
Radio: WING-AM (1410)
Ticket info: Tickets cost $7 in advance and $15 on game day (cash only). They're available online at OhioState Buckeyes.com, by phone at (800) 745-3000 and at the ticket office in the Schottenstein Center.
COLUMBUS — Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer plans what he calls a vanilla offensive package for the spring game in Ohio Stadium on Saturday. But even vanilla for Meyer means footballs will be flying.
“The ball will be thrown a lot,” he said Wednesday. “I don’t know if it will be caught a lot. That’s the part we’re evaluating.”
The receiver position may be the biggest question mark for the Buckeyes after completing 13 of their 15 spring practices. The unit was hurt last season by the suspension of star DeVier Posey, and no one caught more than 14 passes.
Meyer said Corey “Philly” Brown has emerged as perhaps the No. 1 receiver, although versatile tight end Jake Stoneburner has lined up at times as a wideout and has been effective.
Asked how the group has done overall, Meyer said: “Getting better. A long way to go, but getting better.”
The receivers, though, feel as if they’re ready to blossom in Meyer’s system and are growing weary of being doubted.
“It definitely gets on our nerves, but we also use it as a challenge,” sophomore Evan Spencer said. “He’s saying maybe we need to step up. We’re saying, ‘OK, let’s step up and make this play, this play, this play, and we’ll show people what we can do.’
“You guys will see. Trust me. We’re very, very explosive.”
The Buckeyes have had a rash of injuries and illness in the spring with more than a dozen players missing practice Wednesday, though their long-term prognosis is good.
“Every team in the country is dealing with that right now,” Meyer said.
“We want to be near full strength. Our offensive and ‘D’ lines are your concerns,” Meyer added. “We have some players and walk-ons fighting for positions, but we’ll be fine. I’m actually pleased. I’ve been in much worse situations for the spring game.”
An OSU spokesman said about 46,000 tickets already have been sold for the annual Scarlet and Gray clash. The forecast is calling for a high of 58 degrees with possible showers.
“I hope we fill it. Wouldn’t that be fun?” Meyer said. “It’s what you expect from Ohio State. You had about 100,000 for one spring game (actually 95,722 in 2009). I just hope the weather is nice and they have a good day.”
Local players: Starting safety C.J. Barnett, a Northmont High School product, is among those sitting out because of an undisclosed leg injury. But another area player, freshman offensive lineman Taylor Decker, an early enrollee from Vandalia Butler, has caught Meyer's eye along with two other promising newcomers who started classes early, running back Bri'onte Dunn and receiver Michael Thomas.
Of the nine recruits who pushed up their graduations to get a jump on their Buckeye careers, “Taylor Decker is probably the furthest along, which is unusual for an offensive linemen,” Meyer said.
The coach added: “I think those guys will play for us next year.”
Health fine: Meyer didn't appear in the mood to give an update on his physical condition. Asked whether he's avoided the type of stress that led to his resignation from Florida in 2010, he said: "The doctor never said, 'Don't get stressed out.' I'm taking care of myself. Thanks for asking."
When a reporter pressed, Meyer responded, “That’s old news. We’re doing fine. We’ve just got to get our skill (players) a little better now.”
Running backs coach Stan Drayton, who was on Meyer’s staffs at Bowling Green and Florida, said: “He looks like the same Urban Meyer as far as X’s and O’s and as far as intensity on the football field. But he’s in a better place, I think, spiritually. He’s not letting a whole bunch of things get to him much. He hasn’t taken his foot off the gas pedal at all. He’s just learned to manage it better now.
“This is an intense business we’re in, and some people handle it differently. The way he’s handling it is going to be good for him and his family. I like the place he’s in now.”
Big catch: J.T. Barrett of Wichita Falls, Texas, ranked by some scouting services as the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the 2013 recruiting class, has made a verbal commitment to Ohio State. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound junior passed for 1,605 yards and rushed for 1,521. He also had scholarship offers from Nebraska, LSU, Arizona, Illinois, Ole Miss, Baylor and Mississippi State.
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