LINCOLN, Nebraska — Ohio State has played football for 127 seasons and in all that time a Buckeye starting quarterback has never authored a better game than J.T. Barrett fashioned on Saturday night in Lincoln, Nebraska.
How do we know this?
Simple, really. Barrett played for eight series in ninth-ranked Ohio State’s 56-14 pounding of Nebraska, and led his team to eight touchdowns. Every possible yard the Buckeyes could’ve gained when Barrett was on the field, they did. It was truly remarkable.
“J.T. played exceptional, but when you have protection and guys are making plays for him … very good performance on offense,” coach Urban Meyer said.
Barrett’s stats were sublime, too, particularly considering the windy conditions. The senior standout targeted 10 different receivers and finished 27-of-33 passing for 325 yards and five touchdowns. He ran 10 times for 48 yards and two more scores, personally accounting for seven of his team’s eight TDs — and tying a single-game school record in the process.
Freshman J.K. Dobbins rolled down the near sideline for a 52-yard touchdown dash on the first possession, before Barrett handled the rest of the scoring.
“If we get a touchdown at the end of a drive, that means I did my job,” Barrett said. “I did talk to (punter) Drue (Chrisman) towards the end of the game and he’s like ‘It’s cold over here on the sideline, huh?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, you’re right.’ He said ‘Well, I didn’t punt tonight.’ I almost wanted to say ‘I apologize,’ but I didn’t.”
In the first half the Buckeyes (6-1 overall, 4-0 in the Big Ten) ripped off drives of 96, 85, 80, 71 and 59 yards. In the second half the marches encompassed 75, 75 and 66 yards.
There were no short fields, no cheap touchdowns, no turnovers and no punts.
“We couldn’t make him uncomfortable throwing the ball,” Nebraska coach Mike Riley said. “I know what they did running the ball and all that but that’s a pretty clean pocket he had throwing, so that’s where would have liked to make him uncomfortable.”
Ohio State racked up 633 yards of total offense and 41 first downs against a Cornhuskers outfit that dipped to 3-4 overall, 2-2 in the Big Ten.
“They were going to stop the run and force us to be a throwing team and he had one of his better days he’s had as a Buckeye,” Meyer said.
For the season Barrett has a stunning 21-1 TD to INT ratio. He’s completed 138 of 207 passes (67 percent) for 1,838 yards. He’s also gained 359 yards rushing with 5 touchdowns, tied for the team lead with Dobbins. In seven games Barrett has accumulated 2,197 yards of total offense and 26 touchdowns.
“There’s a very good chemistry on offense, receivers and quarterback are playing at a very high level, very efficient” Meyer said. “J.T.’s efficiency tonight was elite … This is a good time to be cooking.”
Meyer all but laughed at a goofy message-board movement to replace Barrett earlier this season when Oklahoma bounced the Buckeyes 31-16. Barrett did not play well that night, but he’s never played better since then. That’s saying something considering the Texas native is the reigning Big Ten MVP and has twice earned first-team all-conference quarterback honors.
He’s also beaten seven top-10 teams in his career — the most of any quarterback in school history. Yet his critics persist. Short of running the table, they will never be silenced.
The next chance to put a top-10 victim on his wall figures to arrive in two weeks. Ohio State has a bye before hosting third-ranked Penn State. That game should go a long way in determining the Big Ten East Division champion.
500: This marked Ohio State’s 500th victory in Big Ten play, tied with Michigan for the most in conference history, although OSU enjoys a higher winning percentage (.732 to .706). The Buckeyes also tied Nebraska for fourth on the list of most college football victories at 892. OSU could catch No. 3 Texas at 896 this season or next. Notre Dame is No. 2 at 902 and Michigan is No. 1 at 941.
This was also the fifth consecutive game of 500 or more yards in total offense, a school record, and fourth straight game of at least 50 points.
BANGED UP: Ohio State suffered a number of injuries, although Meyer said none of them seemed serious.
Jamarco Jones, an All-American candidate at left tackle, defensive end Jalyn Holmes and receiver Parris Campbell all left the field and did not return.
The bye week couldn’t be timed better, allowing for all those bumps and bruises to heal.
DEFENSIVE DRAWBACK: Although the Buckeyes enjoyed a 40-point lead in the second half, Meyer was loathe to pull his starters because the Cornhuskers’ offense came to life dramatically in the second half.
Junior quarterback Tanner Lee was a turnover machine coming into this game, but had a clean and productive outing against the Buckeyes. He completed 23 of 38 passes for 303 yards and two scores.
Receiver J.D. Spielman, nephew of OSU legend Chris Spielman, ruptured Ohio State’s secondary for 11 catches and a school-record 200 yards, including a 77-yard touchdown.
Was it a letdown or the emergence of a problem that surfaced earlier this season when Indiana and Oklahoma combined for 800 yards passing in the first two games?
With Penn State and its explosive offense up next, Ohio State will find out in a hurry if its defense is cut from championship cloth.
