On opposites sides of the ball, fifth-year senior wide receiver Johnnie Dixon and junior safety Jordan Fuller filled key roles for Ohio State on its way to a 52-3 breeze by Rutgers in the Big Ten opener.
As the No. 4 Buckeyes (2-0, 1-0) enter a primetime matchup Sept. 15 vs. No. 16 TCU at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, how do Dixon and Fuller feel about OSU after it slashed the Scarlet Knights (1-1, 0-1)?
The two team captains break down their thoughts across multiple areas of importance on offense and defense in postgame interviews from Saturday at Ohio Stadium.
Johnnie Dixon
On head coach Urban Meyer’s practice presence throughout the week…
“I think you get a different feel because Coach Meyer is Coach Meyer. He’s a very serious dude. Not saying Coach Day isn’t by any chance, but he’s a different dude and you know (Meyer) hasn’t been out there, so he was eager to be out there. It was a little bit of a different approach. Different guys have to step back and he steps into his role.”
On his 1o touchdowns on 23 catches after he nearly retired from football…
“I just hope God continues to bless me, you know? That’s all it is. Almost leaving the game, not having any catches or any touchdowns, that’s just nothing short of a blessing.”
On his home-run-hitter role for sophomore quarterback Dwayne Haskins…
“I don’t think I’m the only guy. I think we have a group of guys that can do the same thing. It’s just who’s in there at what time.”
Jordan Fuller
On his motivation to return against Rutgers after he sat out the season opener…
“Last week we got the win, but we definitely left the field with a bad taste in our mouths. We felt like we had something to prove to ourselves and to the country. I feel like we took a step today.”
On how sophomore safeties Jahsen Wint and Isaiah Pryor played against Oregon State…
“It was really just more in-game adjustments and I was just talking to them on the sideline and after the game. I didn’t feel the need to get on them because they didn’t play terrible. They both played solid. It was just a couple plays.”
On how hard it was to watch the defense surrender big plays vs. Oregon State…
“As a defense, we don’t like any plus-25-yard plays, let alone 70 yard runs. That definitely hurt and left a bad taste in our mouths. All week in practice, we were motivated to change that narrative (against Rutgers).”
