QB Barrett, Ohio State get offense back in sync
COLUMBUS, OHIO His high school coach came from Texas to watch in person for the first time. Former Ohio State quarterbacks Braxton Miller and Cardale Jones also were there, taking a break from their NFL teams. Even Josh Tomlin and Michael Brantley of the Cleveland Indians wandered in, maybe to offer support and spread some World Series Games 1, 3 and 4 mojo to another high-profile athlete.
If it weren’t for the other 108,745 in attendance Saturday night, it would have been easy to mistake this as an intervention for OSU quarterback J.T. Barrett.
The Buckeyes’ passing game had been in intensive care for weeks.
But the offense took big steps on the road to recovery with Saturday’s 62-3 rout of Nebraska. It was the most lopsided win against a top-10 team in school history and allowed the Buckeyes to move up a spot to fifth in the Amway Coaches Poll.
In the process, the Ohio State junior moved within one of tying Drew Brees’ Big Ten record of 95 touchdowns accounted for in a career — a record Barrett will obliterate if he stays healthy and hangs around for one more year.
“Me, myself, I don’t think I played any different (against Nebraska),” Barrett said. “The past couple of weeks, I think I was seeing the defense well, and I’m trying my best to make great decisions out there.
“You have an understanding coming into a game that certain adjustments have to be made. If we’re doing a better job of that the last couple of games, somebody can judge that.”
Barrett said the Buckeyes simply took what Nebraska gave them, as the Cornhuskers overloaded against the run. Result: career highs for Barrett in completions (26) and pass attempts (38), while throwing for 290 yards and four touchdowns. He had zero interceptions against a team leading the nation with 15.
OSU’s opening drives in the first seven games generated three points. It can’t be a coincidence that Urban Meyer and his staff have scripted the first 12 plays in the last two games, with the Buckeyes scoring touchdowns on their first series both times.
“I like the fact that we’re taking a lot of time into the first 12 plays that are called,” Meyer said. “It’s kind of the whole staff. Everyone’s got their favorites (plays). We put them together throughout the course of the week and then, obviously, we present it to J.T. We’re going to do that consistently now.”
Shaking things up by moving offensive coordinator Ed Warinner and quarterbacks coach Tim Beck up to the press box seemed to be the answer for the last two games of last season and the first four of this season. Following a script just might be the formula to get the Buckeyes through the rest of what has a chance to be a magical season.
Inviting Barrett’s high school coach, Jim Garfield, to every remaining game might not be a bad idea, either.
“I might have him come to a couple more if we keep playing like this,” Barrett joked. “Honestly, my mom doesn’t come to every game, so it’s not like I need someone to comfort me. But I’m glad Coach Gar was able to come. He ate everything up.”
Just like the Buckeyes ate up the Nebraska defense, scoring on all eight series, save for the last one, which found Ohio State bearing down on the red zone as time expired.
Does this mean the passing ills are cured? Hardly.
Meyer overstated things a bit when he talked about seeing “explosiveness.” Yes, Curtis Samuel was explosive. He has been all season.
With him, it’s just a matter of finding more ways, more creative ways, to get him the ball.
But only nine of Barrett’s 26 completions went for 10 or more yards. Other than Samuel’s 75-yard score, Dontre Wilson’s 22-yard gain and K.J. Hill’s 26-yarder were the only catches of more than 20 yards.
Bring on Michigan and the nation’s No. 1 defense? Not yet, but strides were made. At least the Buckeyes are out of intensive care and pointed in the direction of the Playoff.