"My Fault": Urban Meyer Admits Costly OSU Mistake That Gave James Franklin's Penn State an Advantage

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James Franklin, in his 12 seasons at Penn State, had many defining moments, but none bigger than his win over Ohio State in 2016. At the time, Urban Meyer’s OSU was a juggernaut. The Buckeyes led 21-17 with just 4:27 minutes remaining on the clock. But one crucial play changed the game entirely. For Meyer, though, that play was never legal in the first place.

“By rule, you can’t physically pull the field goal protector out of the way of the guy jumping through,” Urban Meyer said about the blocked field goalon his Triple Option podcast. “Penn State? The one win they got against us in 2016. They blocked the field goal. I turned it in, and I didn’t bi-ch a lot about it. My fault that we ran the field goal team late. That cost us the Big Ten Championship in ’16, and they later came back and said that should have been a penalty.”

With OSU leading 21-17, Penn State limited its drive to fourth down in field goal territory. Kicker Tyler Durbin looked to convert that 45-yard field goal. However, PSU safety Marcus Allen blocked the kick and knocked the ball into the hands of CB Grant Haley. It took no time for Haley to run past several OSU players and score a 71-yard touchdown. Penn State eventually won the game 24-21. And with that, OSU’s hopes of playing in the Big 10 title game also went up in smoke.

Both OSU and Penn State finished with an 8-1 conference record and vied to play against Wisconsin in the Big 10 championship game. James Franklin’s PSU, by virtue of its win over Ohio State, finally reached the title game and defeated Wisconsin 38-31. The Buckeyes, though, made it to the playoffs, but Clemson steamrolled them 31-0. Looking back, though, Meyer thought that the blocked field goal should have been a penalty.

According to Meyer, PSU defensive tackle Curtis Cothran pulled away from OSU offensive lineman Brady Taylor. Since Taylor was on blocking duties and protecting the kicker, a 10-yard holding penalty should have been awarded. Additionally, it should also have been an automatic first down for Ohio State. In that scenario, OSU, already leading over PSU, would have easily scored a field goal or a touchdown. Despite Meyer’s opinion on that famous ‘block six’ play, there are also contrasting views.

Many argue that both Cothran and Taylor immediately engaged after the snap. Moreover, in the broadcast angles, Cothran appears to use both hands while Taylor is also pushing against him. That’s probably why the officials judged the play as legal for Penn State and threw no flag. In all, it appears the contact both players had was on both sides, and there was no way to determine whether Cothran alone pulled Taylor away from protection.

And that’s the reason Urban Meyer considers sending the field goal team late as his biggest mistake in the game. That not only gave PSU time to regroup but also to strategize on blocking the crucial field goal.

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