Ohio State Football: 3 takeaways from survival against Michigan

1. J.T. Barrett has no business being in the Heisman discussion

A lot of hype was bestowed upon J.T. Barrett coming into the showdown against Michigan. He became the first quarterback to go 4-0 against the rival Wolverines. He also drew level for the school record in quarterback wins, and could surpass that mark with a win over Wisconsin and/or a victory in the postseason. But Barrett was hardly instrumental to the victory in Ann Arbor.

Before exiting the game with what appeared to be a knee injury, Barrett continued the Jekyll-and-Hyde act that has plagued his game all season long. Barrett completed just three of his eight passing attempts, throwing for 30 yards before being sidelined. Though he did throw a touchdown pass, it was hardly an impressive performance through the air.

Barrett redeemed himself on the ground, running for 67 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. He failed, however, to put in the kind of performance that would have been necessary to keep himself in the Heisman race. He already lost the head-to-head battle against Oklahoma frontrunner Baker Mayfield. He lacks the kind of numbers to leap ahead of even other quarterbacks like McKenzie Milton.

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Barrett threw for over 300 yards just thrice during the regular season, and he never posted a single game with at least 100 rushing yards. For a guy touted as a dual-threat quarterback, that just wasn’t going to cut it in the race. He might get some pity votes from Midwestern voters, but Barrett has no business in the Heisman race after being outplayed by backup Dwayne Haskins in the Michigan win.