INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Even before J.T. Barrett went down with a season-ending broken ankle in last weekend’s win over Michigan, Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer seemed to have found a new favorite phrase this season.
“A quarterback is a product of those around him,” Meyer would repeat, seemingly ad nauseam.
And as it turns out, the Buckeyes have some pretty good players surrounding their signal-caller.
Down to its third option at quarterback, the Ohio State offense put on a clinic on Saturday, totaling 558 yards in the Buckeyes’ 59-0 walloping of Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game. You would have never known that Cardale Jones was at one point listed behind Barrett and Braxton Miller on the Ohio State quarterback depth chart, as the redshirt sophomore accounted for 257 yards and three touchdowns in the Buckeyes’ Big Ten title blowout.
Like his predecessors, Jones brought his own flare to the OSU offense, his canon-like arm taking the place of Barrett’s prominent precision and Miller’s signature stutter step before that. He put it on display just two minutes into the game, Jones connected with wide receiver Devin Smith for a 39-yard touchdown bomb, later finding the senior speedster for scores of 44 and 42 yards.
“He went out there and showed everybody that he could play,” Smith said of Jones.
The first start of Jones’ college career spoke volumes to his own ability, it also boded well for a Buckeyes team battling for one of the final spots in the…
Continue Reading: Cardale Jones Proves It Doesn’t Matter Who Plays QB for Urban Meyer
