Oklahoma Football: Five of the Most Dangerous Players Sooners Will Face in 2016
By Chip Rouse
J.T. Barrett, Ohio State Buckeyes Junior Quarterback
Ohio State has been virtually unbeatable since Urban Meyer took over as the football coach of the Buckeyes in 2012. The Buckeyes are 50-4 overall during that time frame and 31-1 against Big Ten opponents. This season, however, Ohio State will field one of the most inexperienced teams among the Power Five conferences with only six starters returning.
Fortunately for the Buckeyes, and not so much for Oklahoma, one of those starters is at quarterback in junior J.T. Barrett.
The talented OSU quarterback is capable of changing a game by himself, and he is another one of those dual-threat types that gives the Sooners more trouble than they have been able to handle throughout most of Bob Stoops’ 17 seasons at Oklahoma.
Barrett was the starting quarterback for Ohio State in 2014, the season the Buckeyes won the national championship, upsetting Oregon in the inaugural College Football Playoff. Unfortunately, he broke his ankle in the final regular season game against Michigan and was not able to play in the postseason.
He had an outstanding season in 2014, passing for 2,834 yards and 34 touchdowns and picking up an additional 938 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground.
After returning in 2015, Barrett had trouble reclaiming his starting job. He didn’t return to the No. 1 role for good until the eighth game of the season, but still managed to pass for nearly 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns and tote the ball for another 682 yards and 11 TDs on the ground.
Barrett was the Most Valuable Offensive Player in Ohio State’s 44-28 win over Notre Dame in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl.
Enough said.
Next: Malik Jefferson, Texas Longhorns Linebacker