J.T. Barrett gets starting nod at QB for Buckeyes over Cardale Jones

Share

The calls of many have been answered.

Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer announced Tuesday on the Big Ten coaches teleconference that J.T. Barrett will be the Buckeyes' starting quarterback for Saturday's game against Rutgers.

Barrett supplants Cardale Jones, who started Ohio State's first seven games — all wins.

"J.T.'s earned the right to start Saturday at Rutgers," Meyer said.

Meyer has insisted that the position battle between the two quarterbacks has been a season-long thing, and he's said that Barrett hasn't beaten Jones out for the job. That is until now.

"Sheer production," he said when asked the reason. "Cardale's going to be in a very active part, too. Red-zone production, third-down production made the difference. It was a very difficult decision."

[SHOP BIG TEN: Get your Buckeyes gear right here]

Jones won the starting gig for the season-opener against Virginia Tech after he led the Buckeyes to three postseason wins last winter en route to a national championship. Many fans and observers disagreed with Meyer's decision then, arguing that Barrett was better for longer last season, when he was one of the best quarterbacks in college football before he was knocked out for the year in the regular-season finale.

Jones has played fine in most games but hasn't wowed like he did in those three postseason wins. This season, he's completed 62.4 percent of his passes for 1,242 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions.

But Barrett has gained increased playing time of late, used primarily as Ohio State's red-zone quarterback. In the last two weeks, he's accounted for seven total touchdowns, including a four-touchdown performance this past weekend in the win over Penn State, in which he rushed for 102 yards. He attempted just four passes in that game, though he completed all four and two went for touchdowns.

Meyer has used both quarterbacks in almost every game this season, and though he's earned a lot of criticism for refusing to stick with one guy for an entire game, the Buckeyes' offense has been mighty productive, with at least 34 points in all but one game, including each of the last four. But as Barrett has come on the last two weeks, the margins of victory have been getting more impressive.

Contact Us