Big Ten Notebook: Does Ohio State's Urban Meyer push his players too hard?

Spartans QB Andrew Maxwell displayed outstanding patience as he waited for his chance to run the offense while All-American candidate Micah Hyde will be counted on to lead an inexperienced Hawkeye defense.

By Mike Singer

Aug 21, 2012 at 9:53 am ET • 1 min read

News and notes from around the Big Ten:

State" data-canon="Michigan Wolverines" data-type="SPORTS_OBJECT_TEAM" id="shortcode0"> junior QB Andrew Maxwell waited three years before earning his chance to start. “Too often, if you’re not starting after two years, you’re transferring somewhere else -- especially quarterbacks. But Maxwell’s slow, deliberate path to the starting lineup isn’t lost on younger players,” wrote Drew Sharp of The Detroit Free Press.

Replacing Zoltan Mesko, Michigan's former star punter, wasn’t easy for Will Hagerup. It’s even harder given that Hagerup's technique was flawed, reported Mark Snyder of The Detroit Free Press.

Why is Minnesota’s TCF Stadium drawing so few people for Gopher games? It’s not because of a poor gameday atmosphere or because enthusiasm was lost during their years in the Metrodome. It’s because of the fans, wrote Patrick Reusse of The Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Aside from Iowa cornerback Micah Hyde’s responsibilities as the best defensive player on the Hawkeyes, he’s also expected to lead a defense that returns just three starters, reported Randy Petersen of The Des Moines Register. Despite his impressive high school career, where he ran for more than 3,400 yards, don’t expect him to solve the running back issue in Iowa City.

First-year head coach Urban Meyer has pushed his players at Ohio State extremely hard leading to the season. Was it too hard? “The only thing I worry about is health and the heat,” Meyer said. “We try to push them as hard as we can,” reported Doug Lesmerises of The Cleveland Plain Dealer.

The duo of Penn State’s defensive line and linebackers will undoubtedly be the strength of the team, head coach Bill O’Brien said. The defensive line, led by DT Jordan Hill, will have to find a way to replace All-American tackle Devon Still, reported Gordon Brunskill of The Centre Daily Times. “He just eats blockers. He’s so athletic -- 300 pounders should not move like that,” LB Michael Mauti said of Hill.

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