COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – J.T. Barrett played finisher for No. 1 Ohio State, taking the Buckeyes from the red zone to the end zone in the first half and taking over for Cardale Jones full-time in the second half.
The Buckeyes were as good as they have been all season beating Penn State 38-10 on Saturday night, but still the question persists: Who is Ohio State’s No. 1 quarterback?
“Whatever it takes to win, said coach Urban Meyer, who was noncommittal about his starter going forward.
What it took to pull away from a Penn State that has a solid defense but far more serious offensive issues than the Buckeyes’ first-world problems was Barrett’s mobility. He ran for 102 yards on 11 carries, scoring two touchdowns in the red zone in the first half and throwing two TD passes in the fourth quarter.
Penn State was taking away the down-field throws that makes Jones effective. So Meyer turned to Barrett and his nifty ball-handling to run the zone-read option.