When J. T. Barrett stepped onto the field as the starting quarterback Saturday night against Rutgers, the Buckeye offense operated at a different tempo and with a sense of purpose we had not seen in the first quarter all season long. The reason, they had their leader back running the show.
Only a sophomore, Barrett was elected a captain by his teammates before the season began. Not because of his talent, the Buckeyes have plenty of that, but because of his leadership skills and his team first attitude. You could tell early on they were glad to have him back as the starter.