Updated Sep 8, 2015 at 5:12a ET The identity of Ohio State’s starting quarterback was the mystery that dominated college football’s offseason, and Urban Meyer kept everyone guessing right until the last minute — Cardale Jones and J.T. Barrett included. Jones told reporters in Blacksburg, Va., Monday night he did not know he had won the competition with Barrett until he was sent out for the first snap of Ohio State’s 42-24 win over Virginia Tech. That came as a surprise because Meyer had said during the week of preparation for the Hokies that he would tell Barrett and Jones who was getting the nod before the game. Once he found out he was the winner, Jones proceeded to lead the Buckeyes to a touchdown on their first possession of the season, a 64-yard drive capped by Jones’ 24-yard pass to Curtis Samuel in the end zone. He had some ups and downs as the night went on, including an interception off a deflected pass that was one of the key moments in a 17-0 second-quarter rally that saw the Hokies grab the lead before the half, but Jones was more than good enough to help top-ranked Ohio State improve to 1-0 on the season. When it was over, the junior from Cleveland had completed 9 of 18 passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns while also running for 99 yards and another touchdown on 13 carries. Meyer described his performance as “OK,” mentioning the turnover and saying, “I expect more.” The coach also explained how he came to the decision to start Jones, who came off the bench to lead Ohio State to three victories in three postseason games last season en route to the national championship, over Barrett, who started the first 12 games and broke the Big Ten record for touchdowns in a season. “Cardale finished the season as the starter and I started thinking for him to not take the first snap he had to get beat out, and he wasn’t beat out,” Meyer said. “It was very close, but we’ve got two good players and they’re gonna play.” Barrett made his season debut in the fourth quarter after the Buckeyes had essentially put the game away, but he looked sharp in limited duty. The sophomore rushed for 40 yards on an option keeper and tossed a 26-yard pass to Michael Thomas for Ohio State’s last touchdown of the night. “I almost put J.T…
Continue Reading: Cardale Jones gets Game 1 win, but what’s next for Ohio State’s QBs?
