Urban Meyer: ‘I don’t have any more concerns' Ohio State can win national title

Urban Meyer has no more concerns with Ohio State regarding their national championship hopes, following a win over Penn State.

The 20-13 win highlighted the Buckeyes’ physicality, especially after trailing 10-0 following a pick-six. Meyer highlighted a drive near the end of the game to put the game on ice.

With that, it seems like Ohio State can win a number of ways and is squarely back in the national title mix.

“The most physical team will win the national championship,” Meyer said on The Triple Option. “I used to say this to our players, the team that punches the hardest will win the national title. It’s historic. I mean, it’s time tested. That’s what happens. Ohio State, there were concerns. I don’t have any more concerns. I saw what I saw. We were live there. That was the best four minute drill I can remember seeing. 

“There’s five minutes and 13 seconds left. They ran the ball 10 straight times for 59 yards on the road of Penn State from the one yard line. And they basically said, we’re running the ball. Stop us.”

As head coach Ryan Day spoke with FOX’s Jenny Taft postgame, he was grinning from ear to ear. Ohio State kept Penn State out of the end zone in the fourth quarter and got the ball at the 1-yard line. That’s when the Buckeyes ran out the clock, putting the finishing touches on a Top-5 win to keep their Big Ten and College Football Playoff hopes alive.

What stood out to Day, though, was the defense’s performance. Penn State had 1st-and-10 at the 3-yard line, but Ohio State stopped the run three straight times before Drew Allar’s fourth-down pass sailed out of bounds. That gave the Buckeyes the ball with 5:13 to go on their own 1-yard line, and they drained the clock from there.

“Just the toughness overall,” Day said of the defense. “Just to stand in there and get the stand like that, it just shows the grit and the toughness of this team. There’s a smile right here on my face. I’m really proud of this team and the physicality.

“And then, to get the ball on the 1-yard line and then, finish the game the way we did on offense just shows the physicality of this team, the toughness of this team to go get this win. It feels really good. We’re gonna have some fun in Columbus tonight.”

Nick Schultz contributed to this report