COLUMBUS – J.T. Barrett’s legacy at Ohio State is safe.
Barrett threw 13 passes in a fourth quarter while his program’s hopes of a win, a Big Ten title shot and a return trip to the College Football Playoff hung in the balance. He completed all 13 of them.
The fifth-year senior, some six weeks removed from a fanbase questioning whether he belonged in the starting line-up, threw for 328 yards and led his team in a comeback that will long be remembered at the Horseshoe. He and the No. 6 Buckeyes spent more than 50 minutes trying to climb out of a two-touchdown hole before Barrett found tight end Marcus Baugh in the back of the end zone to hand Penn State its first loss, 39-83, with less than two minutes left on the clock.