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Is J.T. Barrett finally a threat to stretch the field? We’ll find out against Maryland
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The J.T. Barrett that showed up in Piscataway last Saturday is the one that everybody is hoping sticks around for the seven remaining games of the season.
Barrett’s numbers were impressive as Ohio State coasted to a 56-0 win over Rutgers last weekend, completing 15-of-23 passes for 286 yards and three touchdowns. That type of night isn’t uncommon for the Buckeye senior, though. What created a little buzz last weekend — or maybe eased the nerves of a few grumbling fans — was the accuracy of his passes down the field.
Yeah, we’re circling back to that.
Against the Scarlet Knights, Barrett completed three of his six passes down field, resulting in 139 yards and a pair of touchdowns. That’s a pretty solid mark for any quarterback, but particularly for Barrett considering his early season struggles to stretch the field.
It wasn’t as though the senior was threading the needle and delivering balls with pinpoint accuracy all night, he had some easy reads, too. There wasn’t a Rutgers defender in the same area code as Johnnie Dixon on a 70-yard touchdown pass:
It’s a pretty easy throw, but those completions can do wonders for a quarterback’s mental health, much like a struggling shooter in basketball who finally sees the ball trickle through the net on a free throw attempt. And with Barrett converting on just two of his 17 downfield attempts in the first four games, it served as a confidence booster for the rest of the contest.
Later in the half, Barrett found Binjimen Victor streaking down the field and was able to put the ball over the top of two defenders as the Buckeyes picked up 46 yards on the play. Victor did have to make a slight adjustment, but the pass was never in jeopardy of being tipped or intercepted.
Ohio State scored a few plays later to take a 35-0 lead into the half.
That was the type of outing everyone expected to see from the start of the season. Bringing Kevin Wilson to Columbus to run the offense was suppose to improve Barrett’s accuracy and give the Buckeyes a new dimension in its passing attack. Urban Meyer wanted to be able to stretch the field this fall.
The Buckeyes were finally able to do that last week. But that was against Rutgers, and no matter much better Chris Ash has the Scarlet Knights playing, they’re still the J.V. team compared to Ohio State’s varsity roster. The question is whether or not Barrett can sustain that type of performance moving forward.
It’s not something the quarterback likes to talk about — he went off in a post-practice interview when asked if “that particular monkey” was off his back. For him, it’s still a work in progress, a wrinkle the Buckeyes are trying to perfect before games against tougher competition — Nebraska, Penn State, Michigan State and Michigan, in particular.
While everyone is asking “can he do it against Penn State?” Barrett has to prove he can have that same accuracy down the field on a week-to-week basis. That’s the challenge for the decorated Buckeye this Saturday against Maryland. Taking advantage of a weak secondary — the Terrapins rank 94th nationally in pass defense — and hitting his targets on some of those home run balls is going to be crucial.
Ohio State doesn’t need Barrett to complete passes of 40 or 50 yards this weekend to take down Maryland. There’s such a talent discrepancy that Ohio State would have another victory in the books by halftime if Meyer just handed the ball off to J.K. Dobbins or Mike Weber every play.
But converting on those longer pass attempts is important down the road, maybe even as early as Oct. 14 when Ohio State travels to Lincoln to battle Nebraska under the lights. This is another opportunity for Barrett to emerge as a home run threat in a game situation. That’s a good way to build confidence with the thick of the conference schedule approaching quickly.
Yes, the J.T. Barrett that showed up in Piscataway is the same one that needs to appear against Penn State, Michigan and the like. First, that guy has to show up this Saturday against Maryland.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB