There is going to be a lot of discussion after tonight about what J.T. Barrett just did and how we place it in the pantheon of great Ohio State performances. From start to finish, Barrett was transcendent, taking what the Penn State defense was giving him and making a series of spectacular passes en route to finishing an incredible comeback against the second ranked team in the country.
| COMP | ATT | YDS | TDs | INT | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | 39 | 328 | 4 | 0 | 189.1 |
But you know this; you just saw it happen.
Barrett was 33-39 for 328 yards – including three drops – and four touchdowns of 14, 38, 10, and a final 16-yarder that ended up being the game-winning points.
Those 328 yards constitute Barrett's 8th 300 yard-plus passing game of his career, which ties him with Joe Germaine for the most 300 yard passing games by an Ohio State quarterback, ever. Oh, and he also set the Big Ten record for passing touchdowns on the night.
What you may not have realized, however, is that as insanely great as J.T. was overall, in the final quarter of the game, Barrett was better than that: he was perfect.
| COMP | ATT | YDS | TDs | INT | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 13 | 170 | 3 | 0 | 286.1 |
13 passes, 13 completions of 9, 8, 3, 38, 11, 4, 13, 18, 10, 20, 6, 14, and 16 yards.
170 yards of passing total.
Three touchdowns.
All of this, against the 7th ranked passing defense in the country.
Those 13 passes were part of a larger streak of 16 straight completions that was only ended by the clock hitting triple zeroes. K.J. Hill was Barrett's partner in crime at the end of the game, catching two crucial passes, but Johnnie Dixon and Marcus Baugh will be remembered as the players who got open in the end zone to seal the game.
But ultimately, this is about Joe Thomas Barrett IV being literally perfect for over 15 minutes of football when he couldn't afford to be anything less. It's the best passing performance we have seen maybe ever.
