The game at hand
Short-attention-span synopsis: No flag plant. No need for Barrett piñata. J.T., J.K., K.J. Show. Patch up wound Sooner than later: Mission accomplished. Pregame buzz: A narrative about the first-ever game against the storied Black Knights was buried in the radioactive angst pile left over from the Oklahoma meltdown. With all due respect to Army, and the Black Knights deserve all respect possible, this baby was all about the Bucks and Barrett bouncing back.
The $70 question: Fans paid $120 less than they did for the previous week’s fiasco, and they got to cheer instead of jeer. Well, at least they did after waking up from Army’s 99-yard scoring drive, which lasted longer than "War and Peace." What it lacked in thrills, it made up for in class between opponents and a much-needed win to calm local nerves.
One-liner: Best cure for a loss: Aaaarrrrrmy training, sir.
Just wondering: Six days of public bashing doesn’t rattle Barrett. Instead of lashing back, the OSU senior quarterback lets his stats answer critics: 25 of 33 passing for 270 yards and two touchdowns and 32 yards rushing with a score. He’s now 28-5 and holds the Big Ten record by accounting for 107 touchdowns. Dude must do daily yoga in a room lit by candles.