We knew J.T. Barrett would have some growing pains after replacing the injured Braxton Miller, and some of that was on display as the Buckeyes opened the season again a scappy Navy squad and their annoying triple-option offense. Barrett threw an ill-advised INT in the red zone, and on one third and short ran the option very poorly as he pitched when he surely should have cut inside and run for an easy first down.
Still, Barrett flashed some of the attributes that had Buckeye coaches raving about him leading up to the opener. Well, maybe the word “flash” doesn’t apply to Barrett, but his performance indicated he can grow into the job.
That’s primarily because all the hype about Ohio State’s weapons on offense seems to be legitimate. Sure, there isn’t an established star like Carlos Hyde, but the Buckeyes can attack you with waves of talent. Guys like Dontre Wilson and Jalin Marshall will make defensive coordinators lose sleep at night, and all the of backs and wideouts look like legitimate threats as well. So as many have already pointed out, Barrett just needs to play his game and distribute the ball and he should be fine.
As for the defense, it’s hard to judge a team based on a game versus Navy as their offense offers a unique challenge. Virginia Tech isn’t really known for its offense but let’s see how the Buckeye D performs next week and we’ll start to see if the promised improvement takes shape.
So the Buckeyes avoided disaster in Baltimore and can start thinking about Virginia Tech.
