On Sunday, Nov. 26, J.T. Barrett had arthroscopic knee surgery, yet he is expected to play in the Big Ten title game.
The Ohio State Buckeyes’ Heisman-contending quarterback J.T. Barrett will play Saturday against Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game. Barrett suffered a knee injury in the win vs. Michigan that forced him to undergo surgery on Sunday. In what looked like the end of Barrett’s collegiate career, he will have at least two more games to finish his record-breaking career.
After being cleared to play on Saturday by the doctors, it will still be a concern with how much mobility he has. As a dual-threat quarterback, Barrett may be a whole lot more stationary in the pocket. As he has always been an electric dual-threat quarterback throughout his career, it may be difficult for him to continue that play style. If Barrett doesn’t have the confidence in his knee to tuck and run as he’s done in the past, that could make him susceptible to the Wisconsin pass defense. The Badgers have the nation’s top defense so a stationary quarterback makes for an easy target to attack.
If Barrett does indeed look quite off early on in the game, Urban Meyer has the option of inserting backup Dwayne Haskins who relieved Barrett when he left with an injury against Michigan. He looks like he’ll be a great successor, having completed six-of-seven passes for 94 yards in leading the comeback win.
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Ohio State needs to win this game to keep their slim playoff hopes alive so you can expect Barrett to be fighting through any residual pain to keep his team in the game. Should Ohio State beat Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game, they may leapfrog Alabama, who is idle, and sneak in the backdoor of the playoff for the second straight year.