Motivated J.T. Barrett Exactly What Ohio State Needs for Final Playoff Push

Quarterback J.T. Barrett carried the Ohio State Buckeyes for most of their improbable championship run in 2014, but an ankle injury against the Michigan Wolverines prevented him from carrying the Buckeyes across the finish line.

That injury opened the door for Cardale Jones, who used his cannon arm and the otherworldly speed of Devin Smith to slice through the Wisconsin, Alabama and Oregon secondaries on Ohio State’s way to a national title.

Barrett watched on the sideline as his backup orchestrated that postseason tear, and over the ensuing nine months, he silently listened to people criticize his arm strength in comparison to Jones.

On Thursday after practice, he couldn’t keep quiet any longer. Barrett was asked about his ability to throw the deep ball, which prompted an unexpected rant, according to Eric Seger of Eleven Warriors.

I was just like that’s crazy to me because if you go back and watch film, I threw a lot of deep balls. Were some underthrown? Absolutely. That was earlier in the year. I got better as the year went on, but I was like, ‘Man, do I have a weenie arm?’ In the offseason it was in my head all the time lifting weights, because I feel like I can throw the ball deep. I felt like y’all were talking bad about me.

His message was loud and clear, but his play last Saturday against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights may have been the bigger statement.

In his first start of the season, Barrett completed 14 of 18 passes for 223…

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