Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett accounted for 294 yards in Saturday’s 24-20 win against Northwestern. He was 21-for-32 passing for 223 yards with 13 carries for 77 yards on the ground.
He was not responsible for a touchdown. For Barrett, that was the first time in his career as a starter that happened.
It didn’t matter, of course, as the Buckeyes were still able to escape the Wildcats and save their season. Barrett made two of the biggest plays of the game on Ohio State’s final drive, too, a 16-yard strike to Noah Brown on 3rd-and-8 when the Buckeyes were backed up on their own 27-yard line late in the fourth quarter needing to extend the drive and a 35-yard run on third down later in that same drive that sealed the win.
“They were playing two-man [coverage] and when they play two-man it opens up the quarterback run game because nobody is accounting for the quarterback,” Barrett said of his third-down scramble. “The receiver made a good block and I was able to get out in the open field.”
On the season, Barrett has 1,675 passing yards, 531 rushing yards and 23 total touchdowns. He is responsible for 90 in his career at Ohio State — the most in school history.
Barrett didn’t account for one in Saturday’s win — something that’s never happened before since he’s been a starter — but the redshirt junior quarterback was still able to make a couple of key plays down the stretch to help the Buckeyes avoid disaster.
