PISCATAWAY, N.J. – It might seem like a broken record at this point, but it could be said once again on Saturday night: J.T. Barrett continues to rewrite the Ohio State record books.
During Saturday’s 56-0 win against Rutgers, a game in which Barrett completed 14 of 22 passing attempts for 275 yards and three touchdowns and ran the ball 10 times for 89 yards, Barrett became Ohio State’s all-time leading passer and the first Buckeye to ever accumulate 10,000 yards of total offense.
Barrett said after the game that breaking the passing yards record was a "tremendous honor," and that breaking school records – as he has said before – wasn’t something he ever expected when he chose to play his college football at Ohio State.
"I didn’t see that when I came to Ohio State," Barrett said. "I just wanted to be the quarterback here and win a lot of football games and be productive doing it. But I think this is a great honor."
Urban Meyer was a teenage Buckeye fan when Art Schlichter was Ohio State’s quarterback from 1978-1981, so the significance of Barrett surpassing Schlichter to break the passing yards record wasn’t lost on Ohio State’s head coach.
"When they told me he broke Art Schlichter’s record as the No. 1 quarterback passing yardage, that was an era that I remember and I grew up watching them play and I remember there was almost a thought that it would never be broken," Meyer said. "So it was an awesome honor."
Ohio State wide receiver Johnnie Dixon said he was honored to have the opportunity to play a part in Barrett’s record-setting night.
“It’s very, very special,” Dixon said. “You get a guy like J.T., he does everything right. He’s just a program guy, he’s selfless. So it’s great being a part of that.”
Although Barrett is honored to have such a prominent place in Ohio State’s record books – he also holds the school records for passing completions, touchdown passes and total touchdowns, among others – he also said that is not something he has focused on. Instead, he's been locked in on trying to help Ohio State win.
"That’s what I’m focusing on, winning football games, honestly," Barrett said. "We win football games, I’m happy."
“I play well at quarterback, then more times than not, we’re going to win a football game,” Barrett added. “I have to do my job and play well each and every Saturday. And the defense has to play a part. Everybody’s going to have to chip in and do their part, but just focus on getting the offense going and doing my job at a high level, and then at the end of the day, we’re going to win a lot of football games.
“Did I think about it before like ‘Hey, I’m going to go out there and break these records?’ I didn’t. It never came across my mind. I was just worried about winning football games and playing at a high level and just trying to continue to do that.”
Meyer and Dixon said Barrett was quick to deflect the spotlight away from himself and onto his teammates when the Buckeyes recognized his accomplishments after Saturday’s game.
“We gave him a game ball in the locker room, he said, ‘Thank you, but this is about winning games, getting better for next week,’ and that’s the mentality we have,” Meyer said.
“He was hyped,” Dixon said, “but he recognized everyone else. That’s the kind of guy he is.”
Barrett wasn’t the only Buckeye to have a memorable game on Saturday night. Another who did was strongside linebacker Dante Booker, who recorded both his first career interception and first career sack on Saturday.
Booker said “it felt good” to finally break through and make those big plays on Saturday, but he sees them as the beginning of more to come.
"I definitely got a taste," Booker said. "I don’t see myself pulling back from that."
Dante Booker made the biggest plays of his Ohio State career to date against Rutgers on Saturday night.
Dixon also had the best game of his career to date on Saturday, catching three passes for 115 yards and two touchdowns.
Like his quarterback, Dixon was quick to defer to his teammates on helping him achieve his success, specifically in regards to his second touchdown, a 39-yard score of the catch-and-run variety, on which Ohio State tight end Marcus Baugh stuck a key block to spring Dixon free.
"That was a great block by Marcus," Dixon said. "I just got to give credit to Marcus, really. He made that play."
Dixon admitted after the game, though, that he was ready for the Buckeyes’ trip to Piscataway to be over despite his big night and his team’s big win.
"I’m just ready to get back home to my girlfriend," Dixon said. "Nah, I mean, it was great though. Just now it’s on to the next week."
While Dixon was ready to return to Columbus, one Buckeye who might not have wanted to leave so soon was safety Jordan Fuller, a native of Norwood, N.J., about one hour away from Rutgers. But Fuller, who led Ohio State with eight tackles in Saturday’s game, said he had many family members in attendance and was glad to have the opportunity to see them before the Buckeyes boarded their bus to head home.
"I just can’t wait to see my family," Fuller said after the game. "That’s what I’m excited about."
