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Ohio State Football: 3 takeaways from comeback win over Penn State

By Dana Becker

COLLEGE PARK, MD - OCTOBER 04: Head coach Urban Meyer of the Ohio State Buckeyes (L) shakes hands with quarterback J.T. Barrett #16 (R) after their 52-24 win over the Maryland Terrapins at Byrd Stadium on October 4, 2014 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Jonathan Ernst/Getty Images)
COLLEGE PARK, MD - OCTOBER 04: Head coach Urban Meyer of the Ohio State Buckeyes (L) shakes hands with quarterback J.T. Barrett #16 (R) after their 52-24 win over the Maryland Terrapins at Byrd Stadium on October 4, 2014 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Jonathan Ernst/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
(Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images) /

Barrett is so valuable

Saquon Barkley from Penn State might still be the Heisman favorite, but if you want to point to the most valuable player to their team, that is a different face. Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett has proven his worth time and time again this year – and is climbing those charts himself after Saturday.

If Penn State had five-star running back to work with next to Trace McSorley, it is highly-possible that they would still be where they are.

Barrett removed from Ohio State would definitely change the entire landscape of the offense, which is what makes him so valuable to Urban Meyer. Barrett passed for over 2,500 yards and had 24 touchdowns in the air last year, adding another 845 yards and nine touchdowns. He has been at his best here as of late, completing 80 percent vs. Nebraska and Penn State.

In every game this year, Barrett has reached at least 200 yards passing and has thrown a touchdown in all but one game – a loss to Oklahoma in September.

Barrett had his best game of the season – and maybe his best game at Ohio State ever – as he completed 33 of 39 for 328 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions. He was also the leading rusher for the Buckeyes, carrying the ball 17 times for 95 yards.

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Still in the running

There is still a lot of football to be played between now and December when the Heisman is handed out, but Saquon Barkley has done more than enough to warrant being a favorite right now.

With the college football world watching Saturday, Barkley returned the opening kickoff vs. Ohio State 97 yards for a touchdown. Well over 100,000 fans inside “The Shoe” were left in silence by the start, and the Nittany Lions continued to roll after that.

Barkley has become a human highlight reel waiting to explode. He continues to make plays in the passing game to go along with being the leading rusher for PSU. Barkley has scored at least one touchdown in each of his last 15 games, the longest active FBS streak.

And even though he was held to just 44 yards rushing and 23 in the air, the threat Barkley presents when he is on the field is what allows Trace McSorley and others to thrive in the offense on most weeks.

The Buckeyes, though, definitely showed some weaknesses in both the game of Barkley and the Penn State offense on Saturday.

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