J.T. Barrett a long way from benching talk going into Iowa game

IOWA CITY — Remember that time, seven weeks ago, when there were real, live people suggesting with complete seriousness that Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett should be benched?

Don't laugh too hard.

(OK, laugh away.)

Crazy, right?

'I'll answer that question: Yes. It's more than crazy,' Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said Tuesday. 'It's stupid, and nobody knew that more than those guys.

'They know just how good a player J.T. Barrett is. That was ridiculous, whoever was saying that, if anybody was.'

Barrett and the Buckeyes come into Kinnick Stadium on Saturday as heavy favorites riding a six-game winning streak in which they have averaged — averaged — 50.8 points and 604 yards of total offense per game. Barrett, in that span, has thrown for 1,668 yards, 22 touchdowns and no interceptions while completing 74.9 percent of his passes.

That's not unlike playing on Rookie level in NCAA Football 14.

Yes, Barrett had a rough outing at home against Oklahoma. He was 19 of 35 for 183 yards, no touchdowns and the only interception he's thrown all year. The argument at the time, made by national columnists and Twitter experts, was that a Barrett-led offense had underperformed against 'elite' competition.

His — and the Buckeyes' — poor game against eventual national champions Clemson in last year's College Football Playoff, Michigan last year and Oklahoma this were the points of contention.

Never mind the fact that Barrett has played a significant role at quarterback each of the last four years. Never mind the fact he helped Ohio State to a national championship in 2014 by throwing 2,834 yards before Cardale Jones emerged for the CFP.

Never mind the fact that Barrett is 9-2 combined in his career against Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Wisconsin and Oklahoma (the Buckeyes won that home-and-home last year). Never mind the fact that Ohio State is 7-2 in top-10 matchups in which Barrett has played.

Never mind the fact the Buckeyes were down 35-20 to one of the best teams in the country — Penn State qualifies as 'elite,' no? — and won that game.

There are several more examples. But let's let the Hawkeyes' head coach take it from here.

'He's a winner. When I watch film, the guy's a winner,' Ferentz said. 'Good things come in all kinds of packages, and he's certainly that kind of player. You know, we've already talked about the quarterbacks they have had, how dynamic they were and all that, but this guy is just a really accomplished football player.

'And to lead your team back the way he did the other night against a really good football team, those are two outstanding teams playing against each other. Doesn't happen by accident.'

Barrett doesn't actually need defending.

His play this year — 2,155 yards, 25 touchdowns, one interception and 69.4 percent completion overall — and Ohio State's national status speak for itself. But it seems kind of wild that Iowa is facing its second Heisman Trophy candidate of the season and at one time people were calling for his benching.

Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer said this week Barrett handled that talk and that bad game 'in the way you'd anticipate.' The high-profile head coach is used to that level of scrutiny, and dismissed any notion that there was a pattern of failure or anything close to it. Meyer said, 'we didn't play well in a game. It's nothing more than that,' before doing what lots of coaches do when a key player has a rough game — put it on himself and the game plan.

'J.T. will write a book someday,' Meyer said. 'He's seen it all. Some self-inflicted mistakes he's had in his life — not many — and then also maybe performances that wasn't up to standard, and then the ability to raise the level of play around him and still execute. I still believe that's his greatest asset. There's never been, with all due respect to media and fans and everything, there's never been any internal issue other than trying to get better.

'You've got to keep the boat pointed straight ahead and go as hard as you can.'

As for Iowa, Barrett is one among many weapons the Hawkeyes will have to deal with Saturday, but he's the first one.

Ferentz laughed at the notion Barrett would be benched. He laughed again when the fact he's a Heisman candidate was brought up.

Part of the gig, he said.

'I just hope he doesn't have as many yards as the last contender we played, because boy, that guy was really good, too,' Ferentz said. 'That's part of the Big Ten. You play against really good guys that are just outstanding players. That's part of the challenge.'

l Comments: (319) 368-8884; jeremiah.davis@thegazette.com