It’s amazing that in the long and storied history of the Ohio State football program a player would set records that may be nearly impossible for another to match.
Ohio State quarterback JT Barrett reached two more milestones last Saturday in the win over Rutgers. He passed Art Schlichter’s team record for career passing yards and exceeded the 10,000 yard mark in total offense. He also extended his Big Ten total touchdown record to 115.
Usually when a player breaks a long-held career record it happens late in the season. Consequently, a total yardage record will be a couple hundred more yards than the previous one. A touchdown mark may be just a few more.
But in these cases, JT Barrett surpassed standards which have stood for many years and has done so in the first half of his senior season. When Barrett hangs up his Scarlet and Gray jersey for the final time, will he have pushed records to new heights that will be difficult for any future quarterback to reach?
While JT has set numerous records during his time at Ohio State, let’s just take a look at the three mentioned above. I’ll use his per game average and project what his totals would be by the end of the year, factoring in the Buckeyes’ seven remaining regular season games and another in the postseason.
More from Scarlet and Game
- Ohio State Football: How Denzel Burke has bounced back so far this season
- Ohio State basketball: Buckeyes conference schedule is set
- Ohio State Football rolling into form at the perfect time
- How Ohio State football has done historically versus new Big 12
- Ohio State Football: We need to see “Killer Ryan Day” at South Bend
JT Barrett has passed for 7,622 yards and is averaging 248.2 yards per game. If he continues at that pace he will have 9,607 yards by the end of the season, over 2,000 more yards than any other Ohio State quarterback.
Barrett is already head and shoulders above any other Buckeye quarterback when it comes to total offense, his record now stands at 10,350 yards. He is averaging just over 300 yards a game and would end up with 12,756 yards by the end of the year.
Barrett’s three touchdowns per game passing and rushing would take his Big Ten total touchdown record to 139. Just think, in over a century of conference play no other quarterback would be within 30 touchdowns of his record.
Next: Week 6 Defensive Spotlight on DL Tracy Sprinkle
Quite a career for the young man from Wichita Falls, Texas. When his playing days are over, Barrett’s name will be all over the Ohio State and Big Ten record books. And some of the records he will have set will be difficult for any quarterback to match.