CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — J.T. Barrett knows the standard he's held to as the starting quarterback at Ohio State, both off the field and on it.
If he didn't before, he certainly does now.
"What I have to say about that is that I'm truly sorry for my actions," Barrett said after the third-ranked Buckeyes downed Illinois, 28-3, Saturday. "I know that the main thing about it was that I wasn't thinking really about my position here at Ohio State.'
Barrett was arrested and cited for OVI early Halloween morning during his team's bye week, caught after he tried to avoid a sobriety checkpoint north of campus. Urban Meyer subsequently suspended him for a game, and Barrett has had his license suspended for 180 days by a Franklin County judge. He also must pay a $400 fine and attend a three-day alcohol education program.
Last week, not playing, it was rough not being out there. Today was good. I think I just tried to play within myself. I wasn't trying to force anything. It was a good day, but can definitely get better.– J.T. Barrett
In his absence, Cardale Jones quarterbacked Ohio State to a less than impressive 28-14 victory against Minnesota a week ago. Saturday on a gorgeous day at Memorial Stadium, however, Barrett got a chance to make amends.
"Faced the consequences and it's going to be a long term thing I'm going to deal with, but I'm moving forward," Barrett said. "I sincerely apologize to Buckeye Nation and never want to hurt Ohio State and what it's done for me as a person and also as a player. It was stupid and just a selfish act. That's it."
Billy Price referred to the suspension as a "speed bump" along Ohio State's season, and Barrett tried to push it in his rearview mirror as much as he could Saturday.
When asked if he initially thought he would be suspended for two games, he diverted.
"I don't really know how to answer that," he said.
Maybe he doesn't have to, but what he did do Saturday was throw for 150 yards and a touchdown while completing 15-of-23 yards against the Fighting Illini. He also tossed an interception, though it wasn't necessarily his fault with the way his offensive line struggled to pass block all afternoon.
"The only negative of the whole night was even the interception was because he got hit," Meyer said, referring to when Billy Price got driven back into Barrett and resulted in a woozy pass that fell into the arms of Illinois' Caleb Day. "It was our pass protection and we’re going to work extremely hard on that."
The Buckeyes have plenty to improve upon before they host Michigan State next Saturday, a game with immense Big Ten East implications.
Barrett also ran the ball 16 times for 74 yards and a touchdown, providing the run threat that was missing when he had to watch the Minnesota game from the press box.
"I wouldn’t put it exceptional because I think he got pressured a little bit," Meyer said of Barrett's day. "He’s a very good tempo quarterback and that’s something that we’re evaluating, too, we need to do more of that. He manages the offense very well."
Ezekiel Elliott's 181 yards and two touchdowns paced Ohio State to down the struggling Illini, but they now have their starting quarterback back in the saddle and remain unbeaten.
"We know what’s coming down the road next week and we have to be a little bit more balanced than we were and that starts with pass protection," Meyer said. "That was the only negative."
Barrett knows he must be better, too, and took the first step of getting there while putting his error behind him in the form of playing in a game.
"Last week, not playing, it was rough not being out there," Barrett said. "Today was good. I think I just tried to play within myself. I wasn't trying to force anything. It was a good day, but can definitely get better."
Ohio State can, too.
