Urban Meyer more interested in Michigan State than potential larger problems for Buckeyes

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer speaks at Media Day on Sunday, Aug. 14, 2016, at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center in Columbus. David Jablonski/Staff

Credit: David Jablonski

Credit: David Jablonski

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer speaks at Media Day on Sunday, Aug. 14, 2016, at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center in Columbus. David Jablonski/Staff

Urban Meyer's general response after his team was blown out by Iowa on Saturday was, "I don't know."

He had a few more answers Monday as his team began preparations for Michigan State, but plenty of questions remain.

RELATED: 6 takeaways from Ohio State’s loss

The most pointed inquiry was about the direction of the program after a third surprising Big Ten loss in as many seasons.

After re-stating the question — “Where’s the program headed?” — he paused, grinned and chose to focus on this week’s opponent.

“We’ve just go to beat — we’re playing Michigan State this week,” Meyer said of the 13th-ranked Spartans, who upset Penn State on Saturday. “We’ve got to really practice well. Fix the turnover issue on offense. Play a little better on defense. The kicking was much better.”

Two years ago, Michigan State traveled to Ohio Stadium and beat the defending national champion-Buckeyes despite not having star quarterback Connor Cook.

Last season, a trip to then-unranked Penn State stunned Buckeye Nation in Happy Valley, although the Nittany Lions ended up finishing the season in the top 10.

Both of those results kept Ohio State out of the Big Ten championship game, but the Buckeyes can avoid that this time around if they win their last three games.

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