Quarterback J.T. Barrett burst onto the national stage as a redshirt freshman in 2014, when he was forced into action after Braxton Miller suffered a season-ending shoulder injury just 10 days before the opener against Navy.
It took him—and by extension, the Ohio State offense as a whole—a few weeks to find a groove and settle into a rhythm. After a Week 2 collapse against Virginia Tech, Barrett and the Buckeyes caught fire, averaging 47.4 points per game in 10 consecutive victories to close out the regular season.
In his first 12 career starts, Barrett amassed 3,772 yards of total offense (2,834 passing, 938 rushing) and accounted for 45 touchdowns, breaking the single-season Big Ten record that was set by Drew Brees in 2000.
But Barrett’s magical run came to a screeching halt in the regular-season finale against Michigan, when he was tackled awkwardly and suffered a season-ending ankle injury.
That injury opened the door for backup Cardale Jones, who marched the Buckeyes through the postseason and to their first national title since 2002.
Jones’ ascension created an enormous and highly-scrutinized quarterback battle for the 2015 season. Barrett was on the losing end of that battle, but Ohio State’s offense struggled with Jones at the helm.
That opened the door for Barrett, who took over in the second half of the Penn State game in Week 7. But even he wasn’t able to totally save the Ohio State offense from its…
Continue Reading: Ohio State Football: Realistic Expectations for JT Barrett in 2016
