COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State can spin it any way it’d like—and it certainly has its reasons to do so—but J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones are different. And that’s OK.
After all, Barrett was undeniably a different quarterback than Braxton Miller when the now-injured Heisman hopeful took over the Buckeyes’ offense back in August, and Ohio State didn’t miss a beat, even looking better offensively at times with Barrett at the helm.
That’s not to say that Jones—especially in his first start—will be able to run the Buckeyes offense as efficiently as his predecessors, although the drop-off may not be as steep as you’d think. Nevertheless, Ohio State’s offense will change to some degree in the Big Ten Championship Game against Wisconsin this Saturday, just as it did three months ago.
How?
Goin’ Deep
Bring up Jones’ ability, and one attribute comes to mind: his arm strength.
“He’s as athletic as Barrett and has a much stronger arm,” Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer said of the redshirt sophomore. “He’s got a cannon for an arm.”
How would Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman quantify Jones’ arm strength?
“Eleventy billion.”
At 6’5″ and 250 pounds, Jones is significantly larger than either of the Buckeyes’ previous two quarterbacks and possesses the ability to throw the ball much further. In fact, left tackle Taylor Decker claims to have witnessed Ohio State’s new starting signal-caller throw the ball as long…
Continue Reading: How Will the Ohio State Offense Change with Cardale Jones?
