How could IU have stopped Ohio State senior quarterback J.T. Barrett?
“Hit him a little harder,” junior cornerback Rashard Fant said with a chuckle.
Barrett is the best college football quarterback in the country, IU Coach Kevin Wilson said throughout the week and postgame Saturday.
The dual-threat quarterback came into the game leading the No. 2 Buckeyes, a team Wilson called Ohio State Coach Urban Meyer’s best in his four years in Columbus, Ohio.
This team averaged 332 rushing yards per game going into Saturday. Barrett averaged 51 of them.
But Saturday night against the Hoosiers, the Buckeye quarterback ran for 137 yards and the team defeated the Hoosiers, 38-17.
“I think that’s the best quarterback in college ball,” Wilson said. “I’m not saying it because he’s in our league. I’m not in their locker room, but I’m sure he’s a great leader.
Barrett passed for just 93 yards, and he ran the ball 26 times — five more times than he chose to throw the ball.
Ohio State didn’t need to pass. The Buckeyes scored four of their five touchdowns on the ground between Barrett, freshman running back Mike Weber and junior H-back Curtis Samuel.
The Hoosiers allowed an average of 160 rushing yards per game heading into the contest, but the Buckeyes continued to pound it at the IU defense.
In 50 rushes, Ohio State averaged 5.8 yards per carry.
A lot of that production was in large part to Barrett, Fant said.
“He can run it, he can pass it and he’s smart,” Fant said. “You can just tell he’s older and more mature. He didn’t really make any mistakes at all. If it wasn’t there, he just tucked it and ran it.”
Aside from a botched toss to Weber, Barrett made few mistakes in the running attack — he ran for one touchdown and was responsible for seven of Ohio State’s 10 plays of more than 10 yards.
When he passed, the opportunities were there. Though he only went 9-of-21, two of his deep passes were dropped by the intended receivers.
“We got lucky because a few of the guys just didn’t connect,” Wilson said. “But that’s when you know you’re a good football team — when you can still run for over 260, 270 yards, whatever it was.”
It was 290, and Weber and Samuel proved to be as big of threats as Barrett.
Weber ran for 71 yards and two touchdowns, while Samuel ran for an average of 9.1 yards per carry and a touchdown.
Only six offensive players touched the ball, and Barrett, Weber and Samuel together were responsible for 100 percent of Ohio State’s 383 yards.
“(Barrett) is a dual-threat — they have a good running back, they have a good receiver,” Fant said. “There’s not just one thing you can focus on. They’re dynamic and very versatile everywhere.”
Even with junior linebacker Tegray Scales tallying 10 tackles, freshman defensive back A’Shon Riggins recording the first interception of his career and the defense holding Ohio State to 5-of-14 on third down, it didn’t prove to be enough to stop the Buckeye playmakers.
And according to Wilson, those are the types of playmakers the Hoosiers will need to stop in order to win in the Big Ten.
“We’re going to play similar opponents in this conference,” Wilson said. “They’re coming.”
