QB Barrett’s statistics are Heisman-worthy

10. If someone had said in July that Ohio State would have a Heisman Trophy candidate on its roster in the 2014 season, the resounding response would be, “Duh. No kidding.” That’s because everyone and their brother across America expected Braxton Miller to be among those invited to New York City in December as one of the finalists for the annual award that goes to the nation’s top college football player. But who would ever have thought OSU would still have a possible Heisman contender in the first week of October and his name wouldn’t be Braxton Miller?

9. Few, if anyone, expected J.T. Barrett to have the season he is having as a redshirt freshman for the Buckeyes. After a modest start, Barrett is not-so-quietly putting together a rookie season that puts him on pace to be among the nation’s best. Granted, the Buckeyes are only five games into their schedule. There are seven regular-season games to go, plus the possibility of a berth in the Big Ten championship game and the probability of a high-profile bowl game. But the seeds of greatness have been planted.

8. Through five games, Barrett has completed 88 of 133 passes (66.2 percent) for 1,354 yards, 17 touchdowns and five interceptions. He has also rushed for 276 yards and a pair of scores as he and his OSU teammates prepare for their second bye week in the past month. Projected over a full, 12-game schedule, and Barrett is on pace to throw for 3,249 yards, 41 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, while also rushing for 662 yards and 12 TDs. John Kampf

7. Last year’s Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston threw for 4,057 yards and 40 touchdowns, while running for 193 yards and four touchdowns. The 2012 Heisman winner, Johnny Manziel threw for 3,706 yards and 26 touchdowns, while running for 1,410 yards and 21 scores. Again, OSU is only five games into its schedule. Some pretty good defenses remain on the Buckeyes’ schedule, particularly Michigan State on Nov. 8 in East Lansing, Mich. So there’s no guarantee Barrett will keep up the current pace.

6. Barrett’s progress is bordering on the ridiculous, though. Take away the first two games of the season against Navy and Virginia Tech— Barrett went 21-for-44 passing with 445 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions in those games — and he has gone 67-for-89 (75.2 percent) with 909 yards passing, 14 touchdown passes and one interception in the past three games. It’s hard to imagine him keeping up that pace, but even if he comes in the general vicinity of that productivity, his end-of-season numbers are going to be Miller-esque, if not better.

5. Barrett’s numbers tell only part of the story. His maturity as a first-year starter is impressive. His teammates attest that he is a leader beyond his years in the huddle. If this kid was supposed to come into his first starting season with wide eyes, someone forgot to tell him that. Barrett is making calls at the line of scrimmage, making audibles on the fly to attack defenses that reveal their intentions in their lineup. He’s making the right reads, performing and acting well beyond his years — probably more so than what OSU expected.

4. After the win over Mary- land, Coach Urban Meyer said, “J.T. Barrett is playing very well, and the big thing is he can still get better.” That would be a neat trick. Meyer noted, “The road is just getting tougher and tougher.” He’s right. Now that teams know what Barrett can do, they will undoubtedly gameplan for him accordingly. Whether it’s putting a spy on him to keep him from running free, like teams (generally unsuccessfully) tried with Miller, or throw blitzes at him to rattle him, teams are going to make adjustments to slow down Barrett a little.

3. It’s incredible to recall that in August, Barrett was No. 3 on the OSU depth chart behind Miller and Cardale Jones, who is now OSU’s backup. Jones, a 6-foot-5, 250-pound battering ram, has been relegated to mop-up duty in which he takes snaps and takes off with the ball. He’s averaging 8.8 yards per rush, but it’s clear Ohio State made the right choice elevating Barrett to the starting role.

2. Miller returns from shoulder surgery next year for his long-awaited senior season. Meyer has said Miller “is our starting quarterback.” He should say that. After all, Miller has run for 3,054 yards, passed for 5,292 yards (for a total of 8,346 yards at Ohio State) with 84 combined touchdowns. If he comes back healthy, he is among the top returning players in the 2015 college football season.

1. But what happens if Barrett continues on this pace or comes close to it? They would have on their hands a 3,200yard passer who had 41 touchdowns and spent a night at the Downtown Athletic Club as a Heisman finalist — and his name isn’t Braxton Miller. Who saw that coming?

JKampf @MorningJournal.com

@JKBuckeyes