College Football Top Performers Week 11: Five Quarterbacks, Three Defenders

Nov 8, 2014; East Lansing, MI, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett (16) runs the ball into the end zone for a touchdown during the first quarter against the Michigan State Spartans at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

J.T. Barrett, Quarterback, Ohio State Buckeyes (Defeated Michigan State Spartans 49-37)

16 of 26 for 300 Yards and 3 Touchdowns; 14 Carries for 86 Yards and 2 Touchdowns

Going into Michigan State Saturday, we all had the Buckeyes losing. Who was about to bet against the Spartans given what they did to Ohio State last year? And who was going to trust the Ohio State defense to hold up and a freshman quarterback to lead this team to victory.

Well, the Buckeyes had been quietly winning all season long after that Virginia Tech loss, and none of us noticed. But they showed why on Saturday. J.T. Barrett really is a superstar, and with not a lot of help on defense, he orchestrated a huge win.

Barrett had 386 total yards and 5 total touchdowns against a team that was supposed to be great on defense, executing Urban Meyer’s offense to perfection. The plays he made all day were so impressive that we couldn’t ignore just how great he was. All of a sudden, without Braxton Miller, Ohio State is in the national championship race once again.

We are not going to count out this team anymore because they have a certain level of mental toughness that we never would have expected last year. And Barrett is the reason for that.

So we would like to acknowledge him as one of the Week 11 college football top performers.

Next: 10th of 10 College Football Top Performers