COLUMBUS, Ohio — Typically, if Cardale Jones is on the field, Ohio State is winning comfortably. The Buckeyes’ third-string quarterback, forced into second-string duty this year thanks to Braxton Miller’s injury, is typically relegated to closer duty late in a game, occasionally running the ball, but never really doing more than getting the fourth quarter clock to 0:00 in the quickest way possible. On Saturday, with J.T. Barrett nursing an MCL sprain and Ohio State up 31-0 at halftime, Jones found himself with an entire half of football to show he’s more than just a mop-up man. “I think that was the first time we let him play,” Urban Meyer said after Ohio State beat Illinois 55-14 on Saturday night. “Usually he gets in there, we just kind of mush it around. He was in there with some really young linemen and still moved the ball. So I thought he did very well.” Jones, who came to Ohio State by way of Glenville High School and Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy, finished 5-for-9 for 82 yards and two touchdowns. That’s better than either quarterback Illinois used on Saturday. His 27-yard touchdown pass to Dontre Wilson in the third quarter — the first of Jones’ career — was a beautifully thrown over-the-shoulder pass. Jones also ran seven times for 47 yards. “I knew he had some jitters that first series,” Ohio State co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tom Herman said…
Continue Reading: Buckeyes QB Cardale Jones runs, throws and clobbers against Illinois: Ohio State football notes, quotes and nuggets
