This week's "Inside the Box Score" situates another blowout win for the Buckeyes in the bigger context of the season and Ohio State's record books. There's only so much we can infer from blowing out unarguably the weakest opponent on Ohio State's roster. However, there are still leaves to read and, importantly, some context we can give to J.T. Barrett as arguably the program's best ever quarterback.
We'll start with a counterintuitive claim about Parris Campbell based on what he's done so far.
Parris Campbell is One of the Country's Best Playmakers
Parris Campbell may not have the kind of name recognition or awareness among even Buckeye fans to be a lightning rod for conversation. Those that do watch him and know the name will find reasons to love him or hate him.
He might be the fastest player with a ball in his hand since Ted Ginn Jr. He's a credible threat to house any reception if the first guy misses. He's that fast and such a weapon is that valuable on any roster.
He's also not a complete wide receiver. He drops easy passes, sure touchdowns, and even fumbled on the goal line against UNLV.
Those arguments about Campbell's superlatives and his mistakes miss that he's quietly one of the top playmakers just four weeks into the season.
| Metric | Campbell's Stats | Campbell's Rank | National Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-Purpose Yards/Game | 145.5 | 23 | Saquon Barkley [Penn State] (253.3) |
| Yards/Play | 22.4 | 8 | Tony Pollard [Memphis] (28.1) |
| Total Yards | 582 | 14 | Saquon Barkley [Penn State] (1013) |
| Kick Return Yards | 228 | 24 | Anthony Ratliff-Williams [UNC] (420) |
| Receiving Yards | 322 | 35 | Cam Phillips [Virginia Tech] (523) |
Keep that in mind as you watch Campbell. He's deceptively one of the most electric playmakers in the country despite this mistakes we observe. That's not to say he'll credibly challenge all receivers for top ten receiving yards. He almost assuredly won't sniff Saquon Barkley for best overall playmaker in the country. However, he's an asset that almost every team in the country would want on their own roster.
Where J.T. Barrett Stands
When J.T. Barrett announced last year he would return for his redshirt senior season, I capitalized on the opportunity to note that Barrett was already Ohio State's best-ever quarterback and that this year would only cement that as he notched a few more records under his belt.
He's already done that. He surpassed Drew Brees' mark for total touchdowns in the Big Ten against Army and moved into second place for Ohio State's all-time passing yards. Even more records are in sight just four games into the season.
| Statistic | Barrett's Total/Best | Barrett's Rank | Record Holder | Other Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attempts (Career) | 960 | 1st | J.T. Barrett (960) | No. 2: Art Schlichter (951) |
| Completions (Game) | 28 | t-5th | Joe Germaine (31) | Barrett: 28-43, 245 yards at Penn State, 2016 |
| Completions (Season) | 233 | 1st | J.T. Barrett (233) | No. 2: Joe Germaine (230) |
| Completions (Career) | 605 | 1st | J.T. Barrett (605) | No. 2: Bobby Hoying (498) |
| Completion Percentage (Game, min. 10 completions) | 80% | NR | Bill Mrukowski (10/11 vs. UCLA, 1961) | Barrett: 12-15, 226 yards vs. Navy, 2014 |
| Completion Percentage (Season) | 64.6% | 2nd | Troy Smith (65.3%) | Barrett's best: 2014. |
| Completion Percentage (Career) | 63.02% | 2nd | Todd Boeckman (63.4%) | Barrett entered 2016 No. 1; is now No. 2 |
| Touchdown Passes (Game) | 6 | t-1st | J.T. Barrett, Kenny Guiton (6) | Barrett threw for 6 TDs vs. Kent State (2014) and Bowling Green (2016) |
| Touchdown Passes (Season) | 34 | 1st | J.T. Barrett (34) | No. 2: Troy Smith (30) |
| Touchdown Passes (Career) | 79 | 1st | J.T. Barrett (79) | No. 2: Bobby Hoying (57) |
| Passing Yards (Game) | 349 | 6th | Art Schlichter (458) | Bowling Green, 2016 |
| Passing Yards (Season) | 2,834 | 3rd | Joe Germaine (3,330) | Barrett's best: 2014. |
| Passing Yards (Career) | 7,347 | 2nd | Art Schlichter (7,547) | Moved into second place after UNLV game |
| Wins (Career, Starting QB) | 30 | t-3rd | Art Schlichter (36) | Barrett had just four wins as starting QB in 2015 |
The next record to fall will be career passing yards. Schlichter needs just 200 yards through the air after he moved into second place during the UNLV game. Next week should be the game in which Art Schlichter 36-year record finally falls.
Beyond that, Barrett knocked off a few other records since that feature before the ill-fated Fiesta Bowl. Despite its grisly outcome, Barrett completed enough passes against Clemson to remove Joe Germaine from the top of the record books for number of completions in a season. He also surpassed Art Schlichter in career passing attempts in the UNLV game as well.
Keep your eye on the career completion percentage record. Barrett entered the 2016 season No. 1 overall in the record books for best career completion percentage, but an inefficient 2016 campaign now puts him at No. 2 behind Todd Boeckman for most accurate passer in Ohio State football history. The margin is thin. If Barrett can duplicate his 2014 season as a redshirt senior, it should be enough to edge out Todd Boeckman from the top of the list.
Ohio State's Pass Defense is Finally Mediocre
Things were bad for Ohio State's pass defense, but now they're mediocre again!
"Mediocre" might be the ceiling for Ohio State's pass defense because it has glaring liabilities we have seen through four weeks. Jerome Baker uncritically bites on all play-action. Any offensive coordinator worth his weight in salt will target that as Oklahoma did to great success. Further, Kendall Sheffield can't defend without interfering. Ohio State fans express some frustration with Damon Arnette but it's Sheffield that might be the bigger problem. The secondary is going to get stressed a lot since the rush defense is as good as advertised.
| Metric | Current Rank | Rank Last Week | Rank After Oklahoma |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yards/Game | 67 | 102 | 130 |
| Yards/Attempt | 61 | 83 | 96 |
| Attempts/Game | 73 | 103 | 128 |
| Rating | 75 | 94 | 110 |
| Yards | 81 | 103 | 129 |
| Completion Percentage | 94 | 100 | 120 |
The good news Ohio State's past two opponents have brought the Buckeyes' pass defense to about what it's ceiling will plausibly be by season's end: average. The Buckeyes held the Rebels to 88 passing yards. Its past two opponents have done wonders to hide most of the damage that Indiana and Oklahoma did to it in the first two weeks.
This should improve during the season but that's more an indictment on the quality of passing in the Big Ten. Penn State will clearly be the biggest test going forward. Other opponents don't have the kind of dynamic offense that the Nittany Lions or Sooners have. Future opponents like Iowa, Nebraska, Rutgers, Illinois and even injury-hobbled Maryland and Michigan underscore the Big Ten ain't exactly the Pac-12 as far as passing threats go.
Water finds its level and expect this to be around Ohio State's level by season's end. "Mediocre" should never be Ohio State's goal but it's about what we can expect for a defense with this new many faces and the obvious liabilities we have seen so far.
