INDIANAPOLIS – After leaving Ohio State’s game against Michigan two Saturdays ago with a knee injury, J.T. Barrett confidently declared after the game that he would play in this Saturday’s Big Ten Championship Game against Wisconsin despite the injury.
That became harder to believe after it was revealed this week that Barrett had arthroscopic knee surgery on Sunday, meaning that he had only six days to recover from that procedure before playing against the Badgers on Saturday.
Even so, Barrett held true to his word, playing every single one of Ohio State’s offensive snaps in Saturday’s 27-21 win.
He said after Saturday’s game that he felt it was important to keep his promise.
“On Saturday after we played the team up north, I said I was going to play next week,” Barrett said. “So if I didn't, I was kind of going to be a liar. And I wouldn't lie.”
Barrett revealed after Saturday’s game that due to the nature of the injury he suffered against Michigan – an injury that happened because of a collision with a cameraman on the sideline – he didn’t have much choice to have the procedure he had Sunday.
“It wasn't like I really had an option for it,” Barrett said. “I really couldn't straighten my leg out being my meniscus popped out. So I had to have the surgery. But I mean it was just a small procedure, really.”
How was Barrett able to come back from that procedure, a recovery that typically requires multiple weeks, to play just six days later? Barrett estimated he spent about 14 hours a day with Adam Stewart, Ohio State’s team physical therapist.
“A lot of treatment,” Barrett said. “A lot of time in the training room. Tried to do my best to get my mental reps through film and then out there on the field as well so I'd be able to play today.”
Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said he was comfortable with playing Barrett despite the surgery because there was minimal risk for the injury to get worse as a result of playing after a short time frame.
“The one thing about the injury he had, there's no structural – it can't get worse. It's just the pain tolerance, will it swell,” Meyer said. “So it wasn't like a ligament issue where you're putting a player at risk. That was not at all the case. It was simply they shaved off a piece of his cartilage in a quick scope surgery. And it's pretty much no swelling, if he can tolerate the pain.”
Barrett said he was limited in practice all week, but felt comfortable with his ability to play on Saturday after testing out his injured knee on Friday.
“I took about half the Thursday reps in practice. And I was mainly throwing the football. Didn't run at all,” Barrett said. “And then yesterday before we took the bus ride here, I did a whole bunch of cutting and planting on my knee. And I had confidence in my ability to go out there. So it wasn't like I was second-guessing at all.”
Barrett didn’t have a great game throwing the ball on Saturday, completing just 12 of 26 passing attempts for 211 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions each. That said, he also led the team in carries (19) while rushing for 60 yards and one touchdown. While one might have expected Ohio State to be conservative in its play calling on Saturday, limiting Barrett’s running because of his injury, Barrett said he did not feel as though he needed any limitations placed on him for Saturday’s game.
“I felt like myself,” Barrett said. “(Quarterback coach Ryan) Day, he asked me, how do you feel running the football? I said, you can call whatever play you want to.”
All of that said, backup quarterback Dwayne Haskins knew he needed to be ready to play at a moment’s notice in Saturday’s game, given that Barrett was less than a week removed from surgery. Meyer said Haskins made sure to let his coach know he understood that before the game.
“Dwayne came up to me, put his arm around me and said, ‘Coach, I'm here if you need me,’” Meyer said.
Haskins said he didn’t know whether he would be called upon to play at all Saturday, but ultimately, he was happy that he wasn’t needed.
“I never knew what was going to happen with J.T,” Haskins said. “As always, coaches told me, ‘You might have to start the game. You might have to play early.’ But I’m glad he made the game without any injuries and played throughout, and it’s been a great, great year for him.”
“He’s a warrior for sure,” Haskins added. “Just watching him in winter workouts, competing with each other all spring and summer and then just seeing him do what he did this week after getting his knee scoped, he’s definitely a soldier and I have that respect for him.”
Although he was ready to play if needed, Dwayne Haskins only saw the field during warmups.
While Haskins didn’t end up needed to help the Buckeyes win Saturday’s game, one Buckeye who was called upon to play unusually key playing time was freshman defensive end Chase Young. Young was one of two true freshmen – along with cornerback Jeffrey Okudah – to see playing time for the Buckeyes on their final defensive series, even though they have seen most of their playing time this season in blowouts, on a series where the Buckeyes needed to come up with a stop to secure their win over the Badgers.
Young said it felt “real good” that he was trusted to play alongside the Buckeyes’ veteran defenders in such a crucial situation.
“Coach Meyer trusted me, (defensive line coach Larry) Johnson trusted me,” Young said. You just feel that hard work paid off, you know what I’m saying, just because I try to put that work in practice, just so the coaches can trust me, so it feels good that they trust me.”
At the end of the day, though, it didn’t matter whether a Buckeye played every play like Barrett, or didn’t play at all, because every Buckeye who made the trip to Indianapolis on Saturday had the opportunity to be a part of the team’s postgame celebration as the Buckeyes danced on stage, sang Carmen Ohio and greeted their family and fans before leaving the field after their conference championship win.
Redshirt junior wide receiver Parris Campbell, who was among the players who were front and center during the Buckeyes’ postgame on-stage dancing, said winning a conference title was a perfect opportunity for the Buckeyes to enjoy a special moment together.
“Up there with my brothers, man, sitting right next to Johnnie (Dixon, fellow wide receiver) and me and him are brothers ... in a moment like this, man, you just got to let it loose and celebrate,” Campbell said.
Another player who made sure to soak in the moment, even though he only played as a blocker on field goals and extra points, was redshirt sophomore right guard Matthew Burrell. After the game, Burrell said he wasn’t disappointed that he didn’t get to play more, but rather simply glad that he had the opportunity to play a role for the team in winning a conference title.
Then as many of the Buckeyes chose to go over and spend a few moments with their family before heading back to the locker room, Burrell shared a special moment with his younger brother, holding him in his arms and posing for pictures.
Buckeyes celebrate with their family members: pic.twitter.com/x3A2arLGo3
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) December 3, 2017
Burrell said after the game that it was important for him to make sure his brother was included in the celebration.
“Everywhere I’ve been throughout my life, I’ve always tried to keep him close to me and show him that this is something that he could do, maybe even more,” Burrell said. “So it was definitely important for me to show him that.”
