Meyer, Ohio State wary of UCF’s ‘Big Ten’ talent

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

Quarterback Blake Bortles believes that his Central Florida team has athletes to play on even terms with No. 14 Ohio State today.

Another famous, or infamous, former Floridian agrees.

“They’re a Big Ten talent,” Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer said of UCF. “There’s no question there’s people on that team at certain positions that are as good or better than our (guys). They have five or six NFL players on their roster. That tells you what we’re getting ready to face. We’d better be ready. This is going to be a brawl.”

In the first meeting between the schools, both enter with 1-0 records. Each scored 56 points last week in battering Mid-American Conference opponents from Ohio, the Knights whipping Akron, 56-14, and the Buckeyes rolling over Miami University, 56-10, in Meyer’s first game on the sidelines after coaching Florida to two national titles in six seasons, 2005-10.

The Knights of coach George O’Leary, coming off a 5-7 season in 2011, are brimming with confidence.

“I think we can run with them, I think we can run with anybody,” said Bortles, who threw for three touchdowns last week in his first collegiate start. “We’re a team full of athletes. Everybody’s going to go out there and give it their all.”

Linebacker Jonathan Davis echoed that sentiment.

“I feel like all the athletes we have can match up with the athletes they have over there,” he said. “We’re just going to see who works harder.”

The Buckeyes are favored by 18 points and playing before a partisan crowd of more than 105,000 at Ohio Stadium.

“Some people take it personally, but we have no problem being the underdog,” UCF safety Kemal Ishmael said. “If they want to match us up with Ohio State and they think we’re going to lose, you can’t do nothing about that.”

The Buckeyes have had it drilled into them all week that UCF is a step up in competition from the opener, in which Ohio State got off to a sluggish start but ended up putting up gaudy numbers.

Quarterback Braxton Miller was 1 for 7 for 5 yards passing in the first quarter but ended up 14 of 24 for 207 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. He also rushed for a school record by a quarterback with 161 yards, including 65 on one play where he juked a defensive back and then raced by him.

Ohio State trailed 3-0 and could have been down at least 14-0 early.