By PAUL GOTHAM
The memory still burns with Urban Meyer.
More than a decade has passed since he served as the receivers coach at the University of Notre Dame, but Meyer remembers not just the taste of defeat but the reaction of the Irish’s most talented player, David Givens.
“He was really emotional,” Meyer recalled earlier this week when he met with local media. “I said, ‘it’s going to be okay, man. We’ll bounce back.’ He said, ‘you don’t understand, Coach. I didn’t touch the ball.’ He wasn’t saying it like some kids, like I need the damn ball, not like that. Just he didn’t feel he helped the team win.”
The Irish had just dropped a three-point decision to a Nebraska, a game which many ND fans remember as the one that more Cornhusker-red filled Notre Stadium than the home colors.
“They were No. 1, and we were in the top ten and lost that game, and I walked in, and David Givens was our best player on offense. He was a wide receiver.”
Givens, who would go on to lead the Irish with 25 receptions on the season, caught just one pass for nine yards that game – a day when the Irish gained just 40 yards through the air.
“I was very upset with myself that we did not get him the ball,” Meyer added. “It’s hard to get receivers the ball. If they roll up on you or double you, you can’t get them the ball.”
The day changed Meyer’s way of thinking. It led to Percy Harvin’s role under Meyer at the University of Florida as a hybrid back. At Ohio State, Meyer has used Jalin Marshall, Dontre Wilson and now Braxton Miller in the H-back role.
“It’s not real hard — if you want to really give them the ball, put them behind center five yards and snap it to them,” Meyer explained. “The next part of that is how do you create space for them? That’s a little more complicated when people know you’re not going to throw. The good thing is Braxton can throw and will throw. So that gives you a little bit more.”
Miller, a two-time Big Ten Offensive Player and Quarterback of the Year, sat out last season with a shoulder injury suffered in the final game his junior season. J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones took over the responsibilities under center and led the Buckeyes to a national championship.
Miller re-emerged this season in the different role. Through two games Miller has gained 213 all-purpose yards. On 13 rushes, the fifth-year has 122 yards and one touchdown. He has caught five passes for 95 yards and another score.
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