You had to have thought at some point that the high-flying supersonic jet that has been the J.T. Barrett show over the past few weeks would eventually have to come back down to Earth for refueling. Inevitably, it happened on Saturday night in State College, PA in front of a rambunctiously raucous crowd of just under 108,000 who played their part in nearly derailing Ohio State’s College Football Playoff hopes. In the end, the Buckeyes prevailed in a game that saw their young, freshman signal caller throw a momentum-changing pick six early in the second half, sprain his MCL later on, score two rushing touchdowns on said sprained MCL in overtime, and live to tell about it.
I hate to wax poetic at this point about why I love sports in all its varied forms and why I think the best reality shows on television take place in this competitive realm, but what I witnessed in Happy Valley over the weekend merely reinforces such sentiment. It’s been said innumerable times in a myriad number of ways in so many different contexts, but coming out as a winner in many respects boils down to being knocked down, getting back up, and figuring out a way to get it done. Yes, there were other variables that need to be taken into account, namely the stellar play of the Buckeye defensive line and in particular Joey Bosa, but Barrett personified the archetypal winner with what he did to ensure a victory for the Scarlet and Gray.
Oftentimes there is a paper thin line between a win and a loss that simply doesn’t appear on the stat sheet. Saturday’s 31-24 double-overtime win for OSU over Penn State is as prime an example of this as I can think of. After averaging 292.5 passing yards in their four relatively easy wins before taking on the Nittany Lions, Barrett was held to a minuscule 74 in Beaver Stadium. Even with a seemingly unassailable 17-0 lead at halftime he had only thrown for 52 yards and accounted for a mere 98 total when you include his contribution to the rushing attack. It should be said, though, that the aforementioned injury to his knee occurred when he was sacked during the second quarter.
So how in the world did the Buckeyes let a 17-point cushion evaporate in the span of a single half of football, necessitating overtime? It must be said that Barrett played a role in allowing this to happen almost as soon as the teams came out of the locker room to start the third quarter. The Penn State defense came out hungry for a three and out on the opening possession of the half, but certainly got more than they had ever hoped for on a single crucial play.
After two run plays that were well-defended by the Nittany Lions, Ohio State faced a third and six from their own 37. As soon as the ball was snapped, Penn State blitzed the linebackers but sent their two interior defensive lineman into zone coverage. Barrett was most likely anticipating a full blitz from the entire defensive line and so he decided to throw to Michael Thomas on an inside slant route. However, the ball quickly ended up in the hands of Penn State defensive tackle Anthony Zettel who took it 40 yards the other way for the touchdown.
Barrett would throw a similarly themed interception early in the fourth quarter as well, this time to linebacker Mike Hull. Once again, a failure to pick up a player dropping into zone on a throw made to a wide receiver running a route towards the middle led to the turnover. On the ensuing drive, Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg, himself having a less than stellar outing from the standpoint of interceptions, led the team on a drive that culminated with him throwing a 24-yard touchdown pass to Saeed Blacknall to cut the Buckeye lead to three.
A late Sam Ficken field goal would tie the game, regulation time would expire and the Nittany Lions seemed to go into the extra period with most, if not all the momentum. Barrett had played on an injured knee for the entirety of the second half, made two key blunders that got Penn State back in the game, and had to have been mentally flummoxed having to deal with those two variables along with the decibel-busting din of 100,000-plus screaming fans. It seemed as if that much anticipated showdown with Michigan State on November 8th was on the verge of losing its luster.
Enter Barrett the baller. Sure, he could have hung his head low after the miserable second half he had and the fact he was effectively playing on a leg and a half, but he didn’t. He merely carried this offense on his shoulders for the entire overtime period, scoring two rushing touchdowns and demonstrating a masterful ability to fake the hand off to running back Ezekiel Elliott on zone read plays, taking it himself. If you want to see something special, go to WatchESPN, bring up the replay of this game, fast forward to overtime and pay special attention to the second and seven play on the Buckeyes’ first possession. I think you’ll be impressed if you haven’t marveled at it already.
In the end, the defense played their part in preserving the victory. If you read my piece last week, you noticed that I gave the Ohio State defensive line an A grade in my midseason evaluation. After what I saw in Happy Valley, I don’t think A+ would do this unit justice in terms of how dominant it looked. Bosa was his usual “constantly in the opponent’s backfield” self, and is starting to do his best J.J. Watt impersonation as regards his overall play. Let’s not forget that he’s just a sophomore as well.
Though he was magnificently masterful to close out Ohio State’s sixth win of the year, Barrett still suffered a significant injury to his left knee and that brings up a whole new set of question marks going forward. When asked about the injury in Monday’s press conference and whether or not it will affect his practice time this week, head coach Urban Meyer said, “He’s got a sprained knee, MCL, so obviously there’s no surgery or anything, and I think he will be limited.”
Having to deal with an added threat of injury simply comes with the territory if you have a dual-threat mobile quarterback. It remains to be seen if Barrett’s knee ailment will inevitably affect Ohio State’s broad-based goal of winning the Big Ten and qualifying for the College Football Playoff. Regardless, if the Buckeyes can get by Illinois at home this coming Saturday, the following week’s crucial clash in East Lansing with the streaking Spartans will have a lot to say about the validity of those aspirations.
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