Ohio State Football: Soon Urban Meyer will have to weigh his ‘options’
Tate Martell isn’t yet ready to take over the starting quarterback position with his accuracy issues throwing the football, but he will be a significant part of the offense. A player with Braxton Miller type ability just can’t be left on the sidelines. Like Miller, Martell can make a defender miss in a phone booth.
He will bring a dynamic to the option offense not seen since Braxton’s shoulder injury ended his quarterbacking career.
Most “experts” think a two quarterback system won’t work and they sometimes point to the Ohio State offense underachieving in 2015 to make their case. However, Urban Meyer has proven it can and Buckeye fans remember that all too well. It cost Ohio State a national championship in 2006.
The situation now is much more similar to the year Urban won his first title at Florida than the one at Ohio State three years ago.
First, the Gators didn’t have a quarterback controversy like when Cardale Jones and J.T. Barrett were battling for the starting spot. Senior Chris Leak was the starter and Tim Tebow was used in special packages, and his role grew as the season progressed.
Also, the styles of the two quarterbacks were so different the offense changed dramatically when Tebow entered the game. Leak was a pure passer and Tebow was a run first quarterback as a freshman.
That will be the same when Martell gets behind center this season. If you buy the comparisons I made with Haskins and Burrow to quarterbacks Urban has coached in the past, think of Braxton Miller taking over for either Cardale Jones or Alex Smith.
With Martell running the zone read option, the defense would have to pay special attention to the quarterback run or any play could end up with six points for the Buckeyes. Can you imagine how many more yards the outstanding group of Ohio State running backs may gain because of that?
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Martell could be used in a rollout pass-run option more effectively than Haskins or Burrow. He could also be a threat in the triple option.
He could hand off to J.K. Dobbins or Mike Weber up the middle, or fake it and have a run-pitch option with H-backs Parris Campbell or Demario McCall. That’s a scary though if you’re a defender.
Well there you have it, Urban Meyer’s options at quarterback for the 2018 season. The Buckeye head coach has been extremely successful with several quarterbacks running his spread offense over the years, and each brought a special flavor to it.
It would seem to be a win-win situation for coach Meyer as the offense should be fine with either Burrow or Haskins taking the first snap of the game. However, when he names a starter there is a very good chance the other will transfer.
The decision will probably have to be made soon. Burrow will graduate this spring and will probably transfer if he isn’t the clear favorite by then. He can play immediately for another team as a graduate transfer.
If Urban names Burrow the starter heading into fall camp, Haskins could transfer and have two years of eligibility left. He would have to sit out a year if he goes to an FBS school but could play immediately in the FCS division.
As talented as Haskins and Burrows are, they will have plenty of suitors if they decide to leave.
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I have a feeling Urban’s choice as to which player will run his Ohio State offense this season has to be one of the most difficult decisions he has had to make as a head coach. With very talented quarterbacks competing for a starting spot, I can imagine coach Meyer will be spending a lot of time weighing his options.