[From an Ohio State release.]
Barrett and Bosa Semifinalists for Maxwell, Bednarik Awards
Prestigious player of the awards are presented by the Maxwell Football Club
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Maxwell Football Club out of Philadelphia has named Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett as a semifinalist for its Maxwell Award and sophomore defensive end Nick Bosa as a semifinalist for its Bednarik award.
Barrett, already twice named this season as a national quarterback of the week by several organizations, now moves on as a candidate for national player of the year, which the Maxwell Award recognizes. And he certainly has the deeds and statistics to back this latest honor:
- Barrett is third nationally in passing efficiency with a current school-record rating of 176.20;
- He has the best touchdown-to-interception ratio in the nation: 25-to-1;
- He is second nationally in points responsible for per game at 22.8;
- He is third nationally in overall points responsible for: 182;
- His 25 touchdown passes are third nationally; and
- He is fifth in completion percentage at 69.5.
Bosa, one of the Buckeyes vaunted “rushmen,” ranks in a tie for second in the Big Ten with a team-best 10.0 tackles for loss and he also leads the Buckeyes with 4.0 quarterback sacks. And he’s had to emerge as a Bednarik defensive player of the year candidate the hard way: by not playing much. The Buckeyes boast a plethora of talented defensive linemen and, through the five-game stretch leading up to Penn State, Bosa was getting only 26 snaps per game on average.
But that number will rise the rest of the way, including after Saturday’s win over Penn State when Bosa and the defense recorded 13 TFLs by 12 players. Bosa also had seven quarterback pressures, according to the Ohio State coaching staff.
Ohio State, No. 3 nationally in both polls and 7-1 on the season (5-0 in the Big Ten East) travels to Iowa City, Iowa, for a 3:30 p.m. ET game Saturday against the Iowa Hawkeyes. ESPN will televise.
About those snaps per game – it’s apparent in the 4th quarter how awesome it is to have fresh D-linemen. Seriously, they took over that game with fresh legs and a strong pass/run rush. There’s a reason you get 13 TFL’s by 12 players (though I’m certain they were not all D-linemen). Hat’s off to the coaching staff for staying with and believing in the process. It would be very easy to look at Nick’s numbers and say – he needs 60 snaps. Maybe – but those 7 pressures might drop to five and Sam Hubbard may not have the energy to singlehandedly tackle two of the best playmakers in the B1G and arguably the nation. Go Bucks!
Seven pressures in 1 game. smh I didn’t REALLY believe Nick was better than Joey, and to a point I still don’t. But DAAYYUM!