Despite up-and-down season, J.T. Barrett sees improvement

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- There were negatives, and J.T. Barrett is more than willing to admit them.

No, the Ohio State quarterback battle, a period of dealing with a rotation with Cardale Jones and the endless scrutiny on the position wasn't easy to deal with.

No, the redshirt sophomore wasn’t playing well enough early in the season to take over the starting job, and he will take the blame for it.

And no, finishing the season in the BattleFrog Fiesta Bowl against No. 8 Notre Dame wasn’t what the No. 7 Buckeyes had in mind when they were the unanimous top-ranked team in the preseason and planning on defending their national title.

At the end of a challenging year, J.T. Barrett appears to have…