Ohio State Football: The case for Dwayne Haskins to start in 2018

The Ohio State football team had a tough choice to make in 2018 at quarterback. With J.T. Barrett having just left, the Buckeyes needed to find the next leader of the offense. They had to choose between Joe Burrow and Dwayne Haskins. They ultimately chose Haskins.

While Burrow ended up winning the Heisman and won a national championship at LSU two years later, many believe that Haskins ended up being the right choice in 2018. This article will go in-depth as to why he was indeed the right choice for the Buckeyes.

My first point is simple: he rewrote the record books in that season. Dwayne Haskins threw for 4,831 yards, which is a Big Ten record (C.J. Stroud is second on that list for the 2021 season). Haskins also threw for 50 touchdowns, which is still a record (Stroud is second on that list too).

Haskins also finished that season as a Heisman finalist and got invited to New York. He threw around all over the field and led the offense to 13 wins that year. Even in the loss against Purdue, he threw for 470 yards and 2 touchdowns. The loss wasn’t at his feet.

Perhaps the most compelling argument for Haskins is that he was in fact the choice. Urban Meyer decided to choose Haskins after both he and Burrow fought for the job in the Fall. Haskins clearly impressed enough to win the job at the time. If it wasn’t for a poor defense, this team could have played for a title.

Haskins also had a better season than Burrow did in 2018. Burrow only threw for 2,894 yards and completed just 57% of his passes. The Ohio State football program wouldn’t have been as good if Burrow would have given them a season like that.

It’s hard to fault Meyer for making the decision that he did. Haskins did about as well as anyone could have asked of him for that one year.