COLUMBUS, Ohio – J.T. Barrett set school records for rushing in a single game and touchdowns in a season as the 8th-ranked Buckeyes beat No. 25 Minnesota 31-24 in a game played in the face of a persistent wind-driven snow shower and a kickoff temperature of 15 degrees Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
UPDATE: The Big Ten announced that the Nov. 22 OSU home game vs. Indiana will kick off at noon.
It was the second consecutive road win against a ranked opponent for Ohio State (9-1, 6-0).
Barrett broke Braxton Miller’s single game rushing record with 186 yards — helped by a first-quarter 86-yard scoring run — and added 200 yards and three touchdowns as the Buckeye gained 489 yards of total offense in the win over the Golden Gophers (7-3, 4-2).
He also broke Miller’s school record by being responsible for 38 touchdowns so far this season.
Barrett scored the game’s first touchdown on the 86-yard scamper and hit Jalin Marshall for a 57-yard score on OSU’s next possession. Marshall caught five of Barrett’s passes for 95 yards.
The Gophers, aided by two Ohio State turnovers, tied the game at 14 with David Cobb touchdown runs of five and 30 yards.
Sean Nuernberger gave the Buckeyes a 17-14 lead with a 22-yard field goal on the final play of the first half.
Barrett added a 30-yard touchdown pass to Evan Spencer in the third quarter and a 22-yarder to Michel Thomas in the fourth before Cobb scored his third touchdown of the game with 7:08 left to play, cutting the Buckeyes’ lead to 10.
Cobb rushed for 145 yards in his final home game.
Coach Jerry Kill chose to send Ryan Santoso in to kick a 34-yard field goal on second down with 1:23 left but Jeff Heuerman fell on the Gophers’ onside kick attempt and the Buckeyes ran out the clock.