In the discussions that followed Michael Citro's Why J.T. Barrett Will Be Your Opening Day Starter article I posted a chart that compared Barrett's 2014 stats to Jones' 2014 stats. Go here to see the chart.
There are two reasons I am not going to prognosticate who the starting quarterback will be for Ohio State in 2015. The first is that there is a group of men who work at Ohio State getting paid a lot of money to make that decision. I trust their judgement.
The second reason, one that many of you have figured out, is that I am not that smart. Instead of predicting the future, let's look at the past.
Below you will find three charts.
Chart One compares Barrett's last three games to Jones' three games.
Chart Two looks at Barrett's performance against the toughest defenses he faced to Jones' three games.
Chart Three compares Ezekiel Elliott's rushing attempts and yards gained with each quarterback against top defenses.
| Barrett's Last 3* | Category | Jones' Last Three* | "Winner" |
|---|---|---|---|
| 38.3 | Points Scored | 47.7 | Jones +9.4 |
| 249.0 | Rushing Offense | 292.7 | Jones +43.7 |
| 228.3 | Passing Offense | 251.7 | Jones +23.4 |
| 477.3 | Total Offense | 544.3 | Jones +67.0 |
| .575 | 3rd Down Conv. | .488 | Barrett +.087 |
| .800 | Red Zone Scoring | 1.000 | Jones +.200 |
| Barrett: 1 | THE EDGE | Jones: 5 |
*The stats above are from Barrett's games against Minnesota, Indiana and That Team and Jones' games against Wisconsin, Alabama and Oregon.
The offense performed better statistically with Jones as quarterback. Is that a result of the games being played in domes? Play calling? Quarterback performance? I don't know. What I do know is that Jones had the better numbers.
Cardale Jones' first three games as a starter were against defenses ranked 2nd (Wisconsin), 9th (Alabama) and 84th (Oregon). The top defenses Barrett faced were Michigan State (5th), Penn State (6th) and Minnesota (21st).
Although Barrett faced tougher defenses, I think it is safe to say that the magnitude of the stage that Jones had to play on, (B1G Championship, Sugar Bowl and National Championship) can arguably offset Oregon's 84th ranked defense.
| Barrett | Category | Jones | "Winner" |
|---|---|---|---|
| 37.0 | Points For | 47.7 | Jones +10.7 |
| 258.7 | Rushing Yards | 292.7 | Jones +34.0 |
| 191.3 | Passing Yards | 251.7 | Jones +60.4 |
| 450.0 | Total Yards | 544.3 | Jones +94.3 |
| .578 | 3rd Down Conv. | .488 | Barrett +.090 |
| .923 | Red Zone | 1.000 | Jones +.077 |
| BARRETT: 1 | THE EDGE | JONES: 5 |
*Did not include Virginia Tech (11th) due to the argument of the offensive line not playing up to its abilities in week 2.
Again, the offense scored more points and gained more yards with Jones as quarterback.
Ezekiel Elliott played better as the season came to a close.
"THE OFFENSE WAS DIFFERENT WITH JONES BECAUSE EZEKIEL ELLIOTT WAS USED MORE."
The chart below was suggested by Gametime and shows the use of Elliott against the toughest defenses Barrett played* compared to the three games Jones played.
*Virginia Tech is not used.
| Barrett At QB | Carries | Yards | Jones at QB | Carries | Yards | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penn State | 26 | 109 | Wisconsin | 20 | 220 | |
| Michigan State | 23 | 154 | Alabama | 20 | 230 | |
| Minnesota | 18 | 91 | Oregon | 36 | 246 | |
| Totals | 67 | 354 | Totals | 76 | 696 | |
| Averages | 22.3 | 118.0 | Averages | 25.3 | 232.0 | |
| Average YPC | 5.3 | Average YPC | 9.2 |
Elliott had nine more carries with Jones as quarterback in this comparison, but gained 342 more yards on those nine carries. When a running back averages almost 4.0 more yards per carry that is remarkable.
Again, did Elliott run better because of the line? Play calling? Opponent? Quarterback? I don't know. What I do know is that there was a marked improvement and Ohio State won the title.
If you like, @RemyBuckeye
