It takes a lot to upstage a Buckeye victory over Michigan, especially in Ann Arbor. It takes even more to do so when it’s an emotional comeback win that keeps Ohio State’s national title hopes alive.
Saturday, following OSU’s 31-20 win over the Wolverines, Urban Meyer did just that.
Meyer was enraged by an injury suffered by starting QB J.T. Barrett when a photographer banged into Barrett’s knee behind the Ohio State bench.
“There’s just someone on your frickin’ sideline and he hurts your quarterback. I’ll find out who that was,” said Meyer.
“I’m just so upset with myself. That was a non-football injury. Too many damn people on the sideline and a guy with a camera hit him in the knee. I’m going to find out who,” said Meyer.
The collision happened sometime early in the game, but Barrett was able to play for the first half and part of the third quarter before he aggravated the injury and had to turn the offense over to backup Dwayne Haskins.
“I don’t know who it was,” Barrett said. “Michigan has a lot of people on our sideline, whether it be fans or photo camera people. He bumped me. My knee kind of shifted in.”
Meyer’s anger had reporters wondering whether the incident could have been an intentional act to aimed at knocking the Buckeye starter out of the game. Barrett said he didn’t think so.
“Nah. I hope not. I don’t think it’s that type of rivalry where you’d try to do that,” he said.
Barrett said that he has actually been playing on a bad knee all season, starting when it locked up during the first drive of the season-opener at Indiana.
“It has happened before, my knee has kind of twisted on me. I have to hyperextend it so it can kind of lock out and then it’ll be untwisted,” he said.
Barrett stood up to illustrate the incident during postgame interviews.
“I’m throwing, warming up, and I went to throw and somebody tried to squeeze through, I guess not to get close to our bench. And he hit me. And my knee kind of shifted in, like I said, just twisted up on me.
“I didn’t really see a camera. He was wearing some gray and he just continued to walk. I’m pretty sure he got a little nervous.”
After the person crashed into him, Barrett said he was initially able to get his knee back in shape to take the field.
“I just lock my leg out, it pops back in and I’ll continue to play. I don’t need to go to run to the trainers and tell anybody. I felt fine running around, cutting. Before it happened the second time, I was running, cutting, playing, throwing the ball, all that was fine,” he said.
That all changed when Barrett aggravated the injury after halftime, and couldn’t get the joint fixed again.
He went up the tunnel to the locker room and returned without shoulder pads or his helmet.
However, Barrett left no doubt about his plans for next Saturday’s Big Ten Championship Game against Wisconsin.
“Yeah, I’ll play next week.”
Hate to see anyone hurt during the game after all the work these young men do to get to this level of competition, but to have a sideline person hit a player with a camera, or whatever, even unintentional is really upsetting. TTUN needs to do something about too many ppl on the sidelines as guests, photographers, etc. It just look s too narrow for others other than the team a d the necessary supporting personnel. Hope JT heals quickly for WI. GO BUCKS!
Barrett said the person was wearing gray. Not a tun color. Probably friendly fire from the trainers or medical staff on OSU staff. Go back and look at the pics when Barrett was hurt. I don’t know either but I don’t think ttun is the culprit
I *think* the media vests that photogs/cameramen wore were gray.
Not really a need to get angry and blow this out of proportion until they pull up some video and see what really happened. If it was an accident the guy/gal might not even know they hurt him. Sounds like Barrett didn’t react to it much at the moment. If video shows something else then get angry, but for now lets focus on Wisconsin. Great win and good job not giving up when things got harry.
Guaranteed it was some *ichigan asshole, but aren’t they all.
JT, your a hero, and a true competitor. Also an accomplished leader, record setter, so much more. You will always have so much to be proud of, And in the fourth quarter, Michigsn completed a 23 yard pass play, but the play clock was at minus 2, Truly. A free play. Refs missed it. Watch the film. Defense stiffened anyway. You will be remembered always as a Champion! And with a True Champions Character, A Champions HUMBLE HEART, Thank you! Thank you!, Thank you for all the records, incredible moments, poise like no other, and of course 4 straight wins against that team up north. And Congratulations for beating that team up north four times!!!! Another record!
Gregory- you are dead on about that expired play clock. It was especially ridiculous because they called one against us that was MUCH tighter than that.
Lots of Buckeyes stood tall in the second half, GO BUCKS!
I’m glad some others noticed the missed delay of game call. I was yelling at the tv…lol.
Leave it to scUM…losers