Will Urban Meyer stick with Cardale Jones?
The Ohio State head coach surprised many by starting Jones over J.T. Barrett, and then he surprised those folks even more so by sticking with the signal-caller even after he made some questionable plays against Virginia Tech, including an interception.
Jones certainly flashed elite-level traits, both running and passing the ball. He finished with 186 passing yards and two touchdowns, completing half his passes (9 of 18), adding another 99 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
After the game, Meyer discussed his reasons for starting the outgoing junior quarterback over Barrett, noting his status as the starter last year, as well as his size, as factors that mattered.
“The way I looked at it, Cardale finished the season as the starter and that kind of started the thinking that he had to get beat out and he wasn’t beat out, it was very close,” Meyer said, via USA Today’s For the Win. “I almost went to J.T. earlier but it was such a pressure game that with Cardale’s size I thought he could get over the top and their defensive front was all over the place and that was the decision.”
While Jones did put together a strong performance, he still looked raw as a passer. Further muddying the waters was the fact that Barrett threw a touchdown pass on the pass he attempted late in the game—a 26-yard strike to Michael Thomas.
It’s going to be fascinating to see if Meyer continues to stick with Jones throughout the season. The Buckeyes host Hawaii on Saturday, and if Jones continues to put up mediocre numbers in the passing game you can be sure fans will be calling for Barrett to take his place.