Gary Patterson thinks Urban Meyer might break suspension rules

TCU head coach Gary Patterson does not think his Horned Frogs will have a coaching advantage over Ohio State when the two teams meet on Sept. 15.

Urban Meyer will be serving the final game of his three-game suspension as part of the punishment for his handling of former Buckeyes wide receivers coach Zach Smith during Ohio State’s game against TCU. That means Meyer is not supposed to have communication with his team/coaches during the game. Patterson thinks that’s a rule that a coach might not follow.

Here’s what ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg wrote on Friday night after TCU beat SMU 42-12.

Gary Patterson says facing an Ohio State team without Urban Meyer on the sideline won’t be an advantage for TCU. He said if he was in Meyer’s position, he would communicate with the staff in the game. When I told him Meyer couldn’t, according to his suspension, Patterson joked that he would do it anyway.

Ohio State already routed Oregon State 77-31 in their first game of the season. They take on Rutgers in their second game without Meyer, and then their game on Sept. 15 against TCU will be their toughest test without the coach. Of course, Meyer is still able to coach the team in practice during the week, and then, well, he might be able to do what Patterson thinks he will do during the game. No matter how you slice it, Ohio State still will be expected to go 3-0 to start the season.

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