Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett’s injury announcement came shortly after the conclusion of the Ohio State-Michigan game, and it confirmed their fans’ worst fears: broken ankle, season-ending injury. Barrett, who was not even supposed to see playing time this year, had a year freshmen could only dream about. Here is a look at his numbers:
Passing: 190 for 293 (64.8%) for 2,658 yards (241.6 yards a game). His TD/INT ratio was 3.3, with 33 TD’s and 10 INT. Overall, he posted a 171.4 QB passer rating.
Rushing: 156 carries for 849 yards (6.6 yards a carry) which equaled 77.2 yards a game. He crossed the goal line nine times on the ground.
Combined, Barrett had 3,507 yards and 42 touchdowns.
It is sad to see him go down at this stage of the season. Many individuals will now turn the conversation to talk about what will this do to Ohio State’s playoff chances. Will the committee hold the injury against the Buckeyes? For now, let us put that on the back burner. May Barrett heal well and let us celebrate a great season from a freshman who was not supposed to play. We will also take a quick glance at the “next man up,” Cardale Jones.
Those were the words of Jones two years ago. The Buckeye Nation will be hoping that those words and tweets are behind him, but everyone is scrambling to figure out who Jones is and what makes him tick. Keep in mind, after all, that all of a sudden, the third-string quarterback now has the opportunity to lead his team into the playoffs to contend for the national championship.
Back in 2011, Jones was ranked the #12 prep school quarterback in the nation. He led perennial northeast Ohio high school power Cleveland Glenville to a 24-3 record as a starting quarterback. He passed for 1,689 yards and 22 touchdowns as a senior in 2011 for coach Ted Ginn and was named third-team Division I all-state by the Associated Press which led him to that #12 ranking.
Before heading to Ohio State, he attended Fork Union Military Academy for one semester. He red-shirted in 2012 upon arriving in Columbus.
In 2013, he only played 39 plays in blow-out wins versus Florida A&M, Penn State, and Purdue. In those 39 plays, he only threw the ball one time. His big game was against Florida A&M, where he rushed 17 times for 128 yards (a 7.5 per carry average) and scored one touchdown on a 10-yard run.
Coach Meyers has a week to prepare him. He is a talented young man and Meyers will have him ready. Watch for the Buckeyes to shake their offense up a little though. They will be much more run-oriented, behind Eziekel Elliot. Jones should also be running more than throwing and they will bring much-hyped Jalin Marshall in more for the Wildcat option. Don’t look for the Buckeyes to back down in the Big 10 championship game – they want a spot in the playoffs, and coach Meyers and their defense will support their offense as they find a way to earn that berth.
EDITOR’S NOTE: While this article focuses on Ohio State and J.T. Barrett’s injury, TheAOSN.com would also like to highlight the show of sportsmanship by Michigan QB Devin Gardner in the moments after Barrett went down on the field. As intense a rivalry as this is, with many considering it to be the biggest in all of college sports, this was a moment that deserves to be honored.
(Featured image: USA Today/Greg Bartram)