J.T. Barrett injury update: Ohio State QB leaves with meniscus injury
The Ohio State Buckeyes may have to come from behind against the Michigan Wolverines without starting quarterback J.T. Barrett, who exited in the third quarter.
It’s been a difficult afternoon for the Ohio State Buckeyes’ offense against the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday in Ann Arbor, and things got worse in the third quarter. Ohio State fell behind Michigan 14-0 early in the second quarter of the annual rivalry clash before battling back with two touchdowns of its own before the break. While the Buckeyes were struggling to throw down the field all game long, Barrett’s running ability helped them generate enough offense to tie the game.
Unfortunately, Barrett was removed from the game midway through the third quarter after going down hard on a designed run and clutching his right knee. Barrett has been dealing with an ongoing meniscus issue in recent weeks and limped to the locker room to get his knee examined.
The Buckeyes turned to backup Dwayne Haskins, a four-star sophomore who has appeared in five games, to replace Barrett. Haskins came in and completed a pair of passes for 31 yards, more than Barrett generated in the first two-plus quarters, before giving Ohio State a 21-20 lead on a 22-yard touchdown run.
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Michigan is also playing with a backup quarterback in John O’Korn, who has struggled mightily despite the close scoreline throughout the game. Even if Ohio State survives the trip to Ann Arbor, Barrett’s injury status could play a huge role in next week’s Big Ten Championship Game against Wisconsin.
Barrett walked back to the Ohio State sideline on the first play of the fourth quarter, but Haskins was still under center for the Buckeyes’ series.
Ohio State leads 24-20 at the time of publishing. No word on a potential return to the game for Barrett, but as long as the Buckeyes keep their lead, there shouldn’t be any added pressure to put him back in the game.
Should Ohio State hold on for the win, Barrett would be the first Ohio State quarterback to go 4-0 as the starter against Michigan in his college career.