COLUMBUS – J.T. Barrett is once again the starting quarterback for No. 3 Ohio State after returning from a one-game suspension.
No. 3 Ohio State (9-0, 5-0 Big Ten) at Illinois (5-4, 2-3) Noon Sat./ABC)
Head coach Urban Meyer announced Barrett as the starter Monday, two days after backup Cardale Jones led the Buckeyes to a 28-14 win against Minnesota.
“If J.T. has a good week of practice, he’ll get to start against Illinois,” Meyer said, adding that that caveat is team policy.
Barrett was suspended by Meyer after the quarterback was issued a misdemeanor ticket at a sobriety checkpoint Oct. 31 near the Ohio State campus. According to The Columbus Dispatch, a judge suspended Barrett’s driver’s ;license and fined him $400 at a court hearing Tuesday morning.
While Barrett was not in uniform Saturday, the captain was very much a presence at the game. Instead of his usual pregame speech he made one at halftime, when the Buckeyes led 14-0.
The choice to return Barrett to the starting role – which seems obvious to fans – wasn‘t a no-brainer for Meyer.
“It’s never an easy call because one guy (Jones) had his 11th win, 250 all-purpose yards. Started off slow and accurate on a few passes, finished fairly good. Made some good plays for us and is invested in our program. It’s never easy,” he said. “I think it’s the right thing at this time.”
Under Jones’s leadership, the OSU offense – second in the Big Ten – got off to a sluggish start but put enough points on the board to record a 29th straight conference win, tying a mark set by the 1992-95 Florida State Seminoles.
Meyer says quarterback-turned-receiver Braxton Miller has a sore neck after being slammed to the ground on a 45-yard pass completion in the 4th quarter Saturday night and did not practice Sunday.
“We anticipate him practicing [Tuesday] if all goes well,” Meyer said.
Junior safety Vonn Bell is the Big Ten Conference defensive player of the week. Bell made the game-altering play against Minnesota, intercepting a Mitch Leidner pass and scoring from 16 yards to break a scoreless tie late in the first half. That was his second score of the year, after a 14-yard “scoop-and-score” against Hawaii. Bell also tied his career-best with 10 tackles against the Gophers.