COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer was hardly stingy with his praise of quarterback J.T. Barrett, who scored two touchdowns in overtime during the Buckeyes’ win at Penn State Saturday night, despite suffering a sprained left knee.
Meyer says Barrett will be limited in practice because of the sprained medial collateral ligament but is expected to play against Illinois this Saturday (8:00 p.m./ABC).
“He’s one of the toughest cats I’ve ever been around. To think what he did to that game, I’m just so impressed by that…What he did, now, how many guys could have done that? Had a very serious injury — MCL injury is a serious injury — and to go in, and he won,” Meyer said at his weekly media briefing Monday.
Illini coach Tim Beckman has some injury problems of his own at quarterback. He says he doesn’t expect to get starter Wes Lunt back until the Nov. 15 game against Iowa.
That means Beckman may again use some version of the formula that backup quarterback Reilly O’Toole used in last Saturday’s 28-24 win over Minnesota.
In other Ohio State football news, running back Rod Smith left team to deal with “personal issues,” according to a statement from Meyer. A team spokesman said Ohio State did not dismiss Smith from the squad.
Defensive end Joey Bosa was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for his six tackles and 2.5 sacks during the game. He recorded a sack on the final play of the game to clinch the win.
The sophomore leads the Big Ten with eight sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss.