35-20.

Penn State had that 15-point advantage headed into the final quarter in Columbus. With Heisman Trophy frontrunner Saquon Barkley toting the ball, one of the best receiver groups in the country and the nation’s best defensive statistically, that two-touchdown deficit seemed insurmountable.

It was suppose to be academic from that point, the Nittany Lions would cast an even darker cloud over the already-gray skies in Columbus on Saturday afternoon. Ohio State’s opportunity at revenge had slipped away and the College Football Playoff hopes were dashed. Despite a pretty solid outing, J.T. Barrett was going to be known as the quarterback who never won the big one.

The fourth quarter started off poorly, Penn State’s Shareef Miller pounced on a loose ball that was fumbled by Barrett. It was the critical turnover the Buckeyes couldn’t afford and a moment that seemingly sealed the victory for the Nittany Lions.

But Barrett didn’t allow that play, or the three quarters before that moment, to define his legacy at Ohio State. After that crucial mistake, the most decorated quarterback in B1G history pieced together the performance of a lifetime.

It started just a few minutes after the fumble, when Barrett connected with wide receiver Johnnie Dixon in the middle of the field for a 38-yard touchdown pass to make the score 35-27.

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On the next possession, it was the Barrett-Dixon connection that struck again, this time from 10 yards out, cutting the score to 38-33.

Then came the most impressive drive of the game. With just three minutes left in the contest, Barrett and the Buckeyes needed 58 yards to take the lead. A field goal would do no good and a turnover would end the game.

Ohio State picked up every single yard, ending on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Barrett to Marcus Baugh to give the Buckeyes a 39-38 and eventually became the game-winning touchdown. The senior quarterback accounted for all 58, two on the ground, 56 through the air.

Talk about a legacy-defining drive.

Barrett finished the day with an incredible stat line against one of the nation’s top defenses. He completed 33-0f-39 passes for 328 yards and four touchdowns against Penn State on Saturday afternoon. But it was the fourth quarter — 16 straight completions, 170 yards and three touchdowns — that cemented Barrett’s legacy.

He didn’t do it alone, obviously. Ohio State’s defense came up with some critical stops and the special teams had a blocked punt that helped keep the Buckeyes’ head above water late in the game. But this was Barrett’s moment, and he propelled the Buckeyes to a victory over the second-ranked team in front of 109,000-plus at Ohio Stadium.

Coming into Saturday’s game, Barrett had thrown 18 touchdown passes without an interception and owned a completion percentage hovering around the 70 percent mark since the Week 2 loss to Oklahoma. He’s the engineer behind the nation’s top offense, but nobody was willing to give him credit because of the level of competition.

“Do it against Penn State,” his critics said.

This was the biggest game of Barrett’s career. While he’s certainly played in several high-profile matchups, this one felt different. This was to keep Ohio State in the B1G race and keep College Football Playoff hopes alive. This was to determine his legacy in Columbus and whether he’d be remembered as one of the all-time greats.

Because of Barrett, nobody is going to remember that 35-20 score heading into the fourth quarter. Nobody will even mention that fumble at the beginning of the final period that could’ve been the final nail in the coffin for Ohio State.

Instead, 39-38 is the score everyone will remember, and what keeps Ohio State’s B1G and national title hopes alive. Everyone will consider Barrett to be one of the best quarterbacks ever to come through the program.

And it’s all because he delivered the performance of a lifetime.