Ohio State Football: Finding Solid No. 2 QB Is Buckeyes’ Toughest Spring Task

For a team coming off a 12-win season, the Ohio State Buckeyes may be one of the squads with the biggest question marks in the Big Ten entering 2014.

OSU’s to-do list this spring includes having to find four new starters on the offensive line, solid playmakers at linebacker and something that works in the secondary. Those are all givens, but what may be the most important and toughest task will be finding a reliable No. 2 quarterback.

If 2013 showed us anything, it was that a good No. 2 quarterback is a valuable commodity—just look at how the Buckeyes performed with Braxton Miller down for the better part of three games.

Backup Kenny Guiton came in and arguably played just as well, if not better as a pure quarterback than Miller did. Guiton racked up 643 yards and 12 touchdowns in Miller’s place, while also completing 68.8 percent of his passes on the season.

However, in 2014, there is no Kenny Guiton in the fold and only Cardale Jones returns with any sort of experience. That experience amounts to all of two passing attempts, though, so it’s not as if there’s a lot of experience returning.

OSU’s quarterback stable is full of highly touted guys like Jones, who was listed as a 4-star, pro-style quarterback in the 2012 class. In the 2013 class, JT Barrett was a 4-star, dual-threat prospect.

Jones’ forte in those games was running the ball, going for 128 yards and averaging seven yards per carry. However, let’s also remember that all of those yards came in…

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