The moment never became too much for J.T. Barrett.
Draped in an oversized coat, Barrett grabbed his headset as he took a seat on the bench following a touchdown pass to Johnnie Dixon that cut Ohio State’s deficit to 38-33 with four minutes and 14 seconds showing on the clock.
As he was listening to instructions from offensive coordinators Kevin Wilson and Ryan Day, his teammates were standing and trying to raise the decibels level in the stadium, for the Ohio State defense needed a stop for Barrett’s chance to save the season. After Penn State went three-and-out, Barrett took off his coat and headset, and received handshakes and pats on his shoulder pads from backup quarterbacks Joe Burrow and Dwayne Haskins as he was making an entrance to the drive that would define his legacy to this point.
Beginning on his own 42-yard line, Barrett completed four consecutive passes before the fateful 16-yard touchdown strike to tight end Marcus Baugh that lifted Ohio State ahead 39-38 with 1:45 remaining.
It was the 94th touchdown pass of Barrett’s career, but it will be the one that will manifest his legacy as one of the all-time greats at Ohio State.
Barrett was calm in a setting of utter chaos and tension.
“This is one of the best [games] I’ve ever seen a quarterback play,” head coach Urban Meyer said.
On Penn State’s final possession, Barrett didn’t put on his jacket, numb to the near-freezing temperatures, euphoric from his play and holding the lead for the first time all game. After a sack by Jalyn Holmes, Penn State coach James Franklin called a timeout facing a third-and-15. Barrett sprinted from the sideline into the huddle exemplifying the leadership Meyer has raved about for the better part of three seasons.
Barrett had one message for the defense: “Let’s go win the game.”
“I mean, that was going through my head the entire game, was you have to go win the game,” Barrett said.
In the Buckeyes’ seemingly improbable comeback victory against the reigning Big Ten champion, Barrett completed his final 16 passes Saturday — another school record. He completed 33-of-39 passes for 328 yards and four touchdowns. It was the type of performance that legitimizes a player’s candidacy for the Heisman Trophy.
The Heisman would be another accolade in Barrett’s trophy case, but there’s a spot in that case that still has the possibility of being occupied: a national championship.
Barrett’s late-game heroics preserved Ohio State’s shot at a spot in the College Football Playoff and propelled his team to the driver’s seat of representing the East Division in the Big Ten Championship Game in December. But all of that almost slipped away from Barrett on a botched hand-off that gave Penn State the ball with 13:13 to play and the Nittany Lions leading 35-20.
Barrett was on his hands and knees in disbelief that he might have given away the game that would define his legacy win or lose.
When given another shot from cornerback Denzel Ward’s blocked punt, Barrett didn’t miss his mark.
On the second play after the blocked punt, Barrett delivered a pass to Dixon 20 yards downfield where Dixon did the rest on a momentous 38-yard touchdown pass. Barrett’s final two touchdown drives were five plays, 76 yards in one minute 17 seconds; and five plays, 57 yards in one minute and 19 seconds.
The final pass to Baugh — called 817 Y-Seam Lookback, which Barrett said was put into the playbook Wednesday — will be remembered as the time Barrett best showed his capability to perform at the highest stage with immense poise when Ohio State needs him to do so.
The quarterback, who was deemed unfit to play against college football’s elite by many critics outside the program, picked apart the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense for 39 points and three fourth-quarter touchdowns.
“I’ve seen it ever since he’s been playing for us,” Meyer said. “I heard about this J.T. Barrett guy, and he came on as a redshirt freshman. And he wasn’t tall enough, wasn’t this or that. But he’s tough as a lion and he has an incredible skill to lead others.”
As Barrett watched Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley’s final pass fall incomplete and euphoria set in around the stadium, he didn’t celebrate. He picked up his helmet without saying a word and went back on the field to finish the game that he started — a game that was never greater than him.