Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer, right, talks with quarterback Cardale Jones (12) during the second half of an NCAA college football game agains Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va.(Photo: Steve Helber, AP) Maybe this will all work out just fine for Ohio State. Maybe the narrative after Saturday’s game against Western Michigan will be that the Buckeyes have found themselves again, that they look like the defending champions and that the renewed confidence will send them on their way to another title. But by naming Cardale Jones the starting quarterback — again — following Wednesday’s practice, the bet here is that Meyer is setting himself up to go through this circus a few more times before it’s all said and done. “He is the guy,” Meyer told reporters in Columbus on Wednesday. “Unless he doesn’t perform well.” So much for conviction. USA TODAY Cardale Jones remains Ohio State’s starting quarterback Wasn’t the whole reason Meyer took a fresh look at the quarterback competition this week because Jones hadn’t performed well? Wasn’t it because Ohio State has, truth be told, played about 1 1/2 good quarters of football through three games? Wasn’t it because a team drawing comparisons to the 2001 Miami Hurricanes a few weeks ago found itself in a life-or-death struggle at home last Saturday with Northern Illinois? “It’s not (Jones),” Meyer said. “The offense right now is in a funk.” Meyer has said all along, and reiterated again Wednesday, that for Jones to lose the starting job, J.T. Barrett would have to beat him out. It hasn’t happened in the games — he was just OK against Hawaii and Northern Illinois, throwing an interception Meyer wasn’t pleased with last weekend — and apparently it hasn’t happened in practice…
Continue Reading: Ohio State must decide on its offense as much as its starting QB
