Ohio State lost at home to Oklahoma and J.T. Barrett is under pressure to get the Buckeyes offense back on track but thinking about benching him would be absurd.
Quarterbacks always get too much credit when things are going well and too much blame when they aren’t. That’s always been the case and always going to be the case. In the case of Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett, after losing at home to the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday night, Barrett is feeling the pressure to be better after another dismal showing against an elite team. For three years, the job status of Barrett has often been a topic of conversation for Buckeye Nation, but any conversation about sitting Barrett needs to stop. Barrett needs to be better, not benched.
Ohio State coach Urban Meyer did his best to stop that conversation immediately after the game.
“I’m going to make it perfectly clear. There’s not a bull’s-eye on J.T. Barrett,” Meyer told reporters, via Sports Illustrated. “It’s part of the system and a group that has to get better.”
Meyer is correct. Ohio State needs to play better as a team and a number of areas exist for improvement.
The play-calling under first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson could do a better job of putting Barrett in position to accentuate his strengths and limit his weaknesses. This looks like a repeat of the Ed Warriner and Tim Beck. Perhaps Barrett will never return to the production and consistency he displayed under Tom Herman, but his offensive coordinator isn’t doing him any favors. As many things as Barrett does well, his biggest weakness his accuracy and placement on the deep ball. Ohio State doesn’t have Michael Thomas, Devin Smith or Curtis Samuel streaking down the field any longer. The receivers Barrett has to work with aren’t creating the separation needed to connect on passes down the field. Limit his exposure and work on crossing routes and underneath routes that have always been a staple of an Urban Meyer team.
Mike Weber returning from injury against Oklahoma was supposed to be a significant addition to the backfield that includes J.K. Dobbins who ran for a Buckeye record in his debut last week vs. Indiana. Weber only lasted three carries and Dobbins was held to 72 yards on 13 carries. Getting Weber healthy will not only help Dobbins as they get used to a platoon but also alleviate the pressure on Barrett to make plays in the air.
Barrett has always been at his best when he can make plays with his feet. He’s not an NFL quarterback prospect who can “make all the throws” but he’s also missing the stable of NFL players who once protected him. Taylor Decker and Pat Elflein aren’t walking through that door. The offensive line has to play better because Barrett is not getting the protection he once received when he was lighting up Big Ten defenses in 2014.
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This is nothing new for Barrett. In 2014, he threw three interceptions in the stunning loss to Virginia Tech that had many questioning if he was the man to lead Ohio State in the wake of Braxton Miller’s injury. All he did after that was lead Ohio State to the Big Ten Championship Game before suffering a season-ending injury in the win vs. Michigan. He didn’t get to play for the Big Ten title or in the College Football Playoff where Cardale Jones led the team to the national championship. But all of those goals are still alive for Barrett and Ohio State despite the loss to Oklahoma.
Yes, Barrett needs to play better but benching him for Dwayne Haskins or Joe Burrow now would be far too premature, reckless and flat-out wrong.