Meyer wary of challenge Ohio State faces with Northern Illinois

By PAUL GOTHAM

Seeing is believing for Ohio State’s Urban Meyer. The fourth-year Buckeye coach doesn’t need a warning when it comes to this weekend’s opponent, the Northern Illinois Huskies.

“Their video is very good,” Meyer said when he addressed the local media earlier this week. “They’re a very good team. Offensively, their quarterback is setting all kinds of records. They’re 305 pounds on the defensive tackles.”

Drew Hare has thrown for a combined a 718 yards in wins over UNLV (38-30) and Murray State (57-26). The junior signal caller has completed 50 of 64 (78.1 percent) passes for six touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 203.3.

Kenny Golladay looms as Hare’s favorite target. The junior transfer has caught 17 passes for 357 yards and two touchdowns.

“When you have a team that’s really good on video, it’s all about preparation,” Meyer added. “Our players will respect them. I don’t anticipate a problem with that.”

Five other Husky receivers have pulled in five or more receptions total for the first two games. Tight end Shane Wimman has three touchdowns through the air. Joel Bouagnon averages more than 100 yards per game on the ground.

“Just a very good team that knows how to win,” Meyer remarked during the weekly Big Ten teleconference. “Any time you face an offense where they’re balanced, they can run and pass, the quarterback is an athlete. You know it’s what we all strive to be, keep opposing teams off balance.”

Under third-year coach Rod Carey, NIU is 27-6 including wins over Northwestern and at Purdue. The Huskies have been to a bowl game in each of the last seven seasons and have won 11 or more games in each of the last five seasons.

“They’ve hired extremely quality coaches,” Meyer added. “That A.D. should be commended because Northern Illinois is a niche place. They got a nice mix of those midwest kids, but they also pulled out of the south.

“They’re very big, big 300-pound D-tackles, and they’re a very good defense. This is a Big Ten quality team.”

As the Buffalo News Mark Gaughan notes, NIU and the Mid-American Conference are coming off a big weekend with Toledo winning at the SEC’s Arkansas (16-12) and Bowling Green at Maryland (48-27).

Ohio State takes the nation’s longest winning streak (15) into the game. The Buckeyes have scored at least three touchdowns in a nation-best 31 straight games. Ezekiel Elliott gained 101 yards last week – his seventh straight contest eclipsing the century mark.

Ohio State’s defense has held opponents (Virginia Tech and Hawai’i) to 3.7 yards per play.

Chad Beebe, the son of former Buffalo Bills great, Don Beebe, plays for Northern Illinois.