Shock ran through the football players yesterday morning when Urban Meyer came into the locker room and announced his resignation.

“I’m extremely disappointed,” said linebacker Mitch Hewitt. “I’m not pleased with the way he handled it. It comes as a shock. … I thought he was here for the long haul.”

Last week Meyer held a press conference and said that he still had some unfinished business here and that he would be around for a while until his goals were met. The players, coaches and athletic director believed this, so yesterday’s announcement came as a shock to everyone.

“If you would have asked me two days ago if Coach Meyer was leaving I would have laughed at you,” Hewitt said. “I was truly surprised to hear Urban Meyer leaving, but at the same time I know coaches don’t win games, players do. What he’s instilled we’ll have forever and can carry that on.”

Meyer has changed the football team into a winning program and involved the student body in the game. He has also instilled several values in the players.

“One of the major things he brought to this program was discipline and trust, whether it be trust in the coaching staff or trust in just each other,” said quarterback Josh Harris. “I think that’s a major thing we’re dealing with right now. I think this will pull the players closer together and at a time of confusion I think that the discipline will stay.”

This discipline could be seen by some of the players after Meyer left the locker room yesterday morning.

“There are a lot of people on this team that are behind the scene leaders,” Harris said. “When we had the opportunity to speak it wasn’t me or Mitch that stood up to speak. It was one of the other players.”

Linebacker Jovon Burkes was the player who stood up first in the player meeting and encouraged his teammates not to lose hope.

Other players who stood up and gave speeches were wide receiver Cole Magner, right guard Greg Kupke and Harris, among others.

However, despite these speeches the players are still at a loss as to what to do right now.

“We’re definitely disorganized, but at the same time enough people stood up and enough people said ‘this is our program and we define what Bowling Green football is,'” Hewitt said.

“There are players that feel very strongly and also players that have been here a while that do not want to see this thing slip,” Harris said.

After the announcement the players tried to remain optimistic and none of the younger players looked to transfer. Thus, the same Falcon football team will be back next season, with the exception of those who graduate.

“The people who play the game, the guys who won the game, our football team is still here,” said athletic director Paul Krebs.

“Our football program hasn’t left town. It’s the efforts, the hard work, the dedication. It’s what the young men in our program have done for the last two years that has got us to where we are today.” After Meyer talked with the players Krebs went into the locker room and addressed them himself.

“They are feeling pain, hurt and disappointment, but they made it clear to me what they think this program needs right now,” said Krebs. “They were very clear in the direction they want to see us go.”

According to Harris the football program is capable of more and they are heading in the right direction.

“Someone is going to take over a nice program, that’s for sure,” Hewitt said.