The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Buckeyes need QB change to work
J.T. Barrett announced Oct. 20 as starter this weekend when the Buckeyes travel to Rutgers.
Just the thought of change and the possible ramifications made Ohio State coach Urban Meyer look uncomfortable Oct. 19.
“If t here’s a change, it’ s always delicate ,” Meyer said when asked about making an in-season change at starting quarterback seven games into the season.
Meyer pulled the trigger on that move Oct. 20, announcing on the Big Ten conference call season-long reserve J.T. Barrett will star t this weekend when the Buckeyes travel to Rutgers, with season-long star ter Cardale Jones heading to the bench in an unspecified — maybe nonexistent — role.
If Meyer thinks the Ohio State quarterback situation was delicate before, it might be more so now.
Because if this change doesn’t work, then what?
The scenario of Jones starting and Barrett relieving might have looked like a gasoline engine filled with diesel f uel at times, chugging along like a machine skipping cylinders, but it was working.
Barrett starting and Jones relieving? Or Barrett starting and Jones sitting?
If this doesn’t work, the Buckeyes might be worse off than they were before Meyer’s announcement christening Barrett as the starter for the first time since breaking his leg last November in a game against visiting Michigan.
To put it bluntly, the move Meyer made had to be made.
Statisically speaking, it was a no-brainer.
In the la st t wo games, Barrett ran for 164 yards (7.1 yards per r ush), ran for f ive t ouchdowns and passed for t wo. He completed 6 of 6 passes for 56 yards. All as a backup. Jones was decent. He threw for 291 yards against Mar yland, but sputtered badly against Penn State, throwing for 84 yards and running for negative-16.
Based on statistics alone, going with the hot hand (Barrett) made all the sense in the world.
But a Barrett-led offense also passes the eye test. It runs more smoothly. It has a better pace to it. It doesn’t look like a square peg getting jammed into a round hole, like the Buckeyes’ of-
fense often resembled trying to fit Jones’ skills et into an offense that is made more for a Barrett skill set. That is not Jones’ fault. Jones’ skill set being a big-armed quarter back who beats teams over the top is predicated on having field-stretching wide receivers.
Ohio State hasn’t shown it has that this year after the departure of Dev in Smith and Evan Spencer last year, plus the plethora of injuries to players such as Parris Campbell, Johnnie Dixon, Noah Brown and Corey Smith.
Jones isn’t a dual-threat quarter back like Barrett is, and without the fieldstretching receivers, t he offense is almost doomed to run at less than an optimum level.
Barrett’s skill set, on the other hand, is exactly what Meyer’ s offense calls for
and what the set of players around him needs.
A quarterback’s ability to run the read- option is paramount to Meyer’s offense. The ability to run the ball — not just Ezekiel Elliott, but also the quarterback, whoever that might be — is what holds linebackers in place, and what opens the downfield passing game.
If Jones breaks contain, he’s not going real far. If Barrett does, the play very well might go for a touchdown based on his ability to not only run away from defenders, but also make defenders miss. That threat means a lot. If Barret t was a poor thrower, the move would be questionable. But he’s not. While he hasn’t passed much this year, he is 203for-314 (64.6 percent) with 34 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Does he have the cannon
arm Jones has? No. But the difference between his arm and Jones’ arm is less than their ability to run the ball.
The big risk is the sheer possibility Barrett doesn’t perform well.
Barrett handled being the relief pitcher quite well. Will Jones handle it the same?
If Barrett struggles— or worse, flat- out fails — in this star ting job, then what? Remember, Barrett played most of the Northern Illinois game and went 11-for-19 for 97 yards and ran three times for 18 yards in a 20-13 win. That’s not a glowing game.
Jones passed up an opportunity to go to the NFL after his three-game domination at the end of last sea son? Does t his move make him wish he left? Will he jump to the NFL after the season? Could he transfer to maybe Houston,
where he would be reunited with former OSU offensive coordinator Tom Herman, under whom he starred late last year?
There are certainly risks going the route Meyer went with changing starting quarterbacks seven games into the season.
But make no mistake, the move had to be made.
The Jones Ohio State saw in the demolitions of Wisconsin, Alabama and Oregon isn’t the same Jones the Buckeyes have seen this year, and some of that isn’t his fault.
But the Buckeyes better hope the Barrett they saw the last two weeks is the same Barrett they saw the first 12 games last year.
If not, then what?
There are certainly risks going the route Meyer went with changing starting quarterbacks seven games into the season. But make no mistake, the move had to be made.