Although Urban Meyer named Cardale Jones Ohio State's starting quarterback a few weeks ago, he still fielded nearly a dozen questions on the quarterback topic at his weekly press conference Monday. That's mostly because against Maryland both Jones and J.T. Barrett saw significant reps and combined for a total of five touchdowns.
Jones finished the game with 291 yards passing and two TDs, completing 21 of his 28 passes. Barrett also threw for a couple passes, going for a total of 26 yards, but he made his most significant impact in the running game, rushing 12 times for 62 yards and three TDs. His playing time came almost exclusively in the red zone.
Asked if Barrett's role as a red-zone QB is a permanent move, Meyer responded, "I think so, but I'm not writing it in Sharpie yet. We'll see how it goes."
He added how he felt that when Barrett entered the game in scoring situations, it "energized" his offense.
"I think so," Meyer added. "I think J.T.'s got the personality and the work ethic and respect amongst everybody in this room, and that's not saying Cardale doesn't. Cardale works his tail off now, so that's a good issue (to have)."
If he continues using a two-quarterback system as planned, it's likely Meyer will keep hearing questions about his approach, especially if one or the other struggles. But they each found success against the Terrapins in a 49-28 win, and he said now it's about sustaining the momentum going forward. Which he said will be much more difficult against Penn State's defense this week.
"Now this is a whole other challenge," Meyer said. "It's (doing it) every week. I would love for Cardale to throw for 30 and J.T. to do that again. This defense is probably going to have something to say about that. It's a very good defense we're facing."
Jones finished the game with 291 yards passing and two TDs, completing 21 of his 28 passes. Barrett also threw for a couple passes, going for a total of 26 yards, but he made his most significant impact in the running game, rushing 12 times for 62 yards and three TDs. His playing time came almost exclusively in the red zone.
Asked if Barrett's role as a red-zone QB is a permanent move, Meyer responded, "I think so, but I'm not writing it in Sharpie yet. We'll see how it goes."
He added how he felt that when Barrett entered the game in scoring situations, it "energized" his offense.
"I think so," Meyer added. "I think J.T.'s got the personality and the work ethic and respect amongst everybody in this room, and that's not saying Cardale doesn't. Cardale works his tail off now, so that's a good issue (to have)."
If he continues using a two-quarterback system as planned, it's likely Meyer will keep hearing questions about his approach, especially if one or the other struggles. But they each found success against the Terrapins in a 49-28 win, and he said now it's about sustaining the momentum going forward. Which he said will be much more difficult against Penn State's defense this week.
"Now this is a whole other challenge," Meyer said. "It's (doing it) every week. I would love for Cardale to throw for 30 and J.T. to do that again. This defense is probably going to have something to say about that. It's a very good defense we're facing."
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