The stars at night are big and bright (clap clap clap clap) inside the Buckeyes’ huddle.
Ohio State’s Cotton Bowl appearance against USC is also a homecoming game for two offensive standouts.
Fifth-year quarterback J.T. Barrett is a native of Wichita Falls, Texas, a city of roughly 100,000 people close to the border of Oklahoma. True freshman running back J.K. Dobbins hails from La Grange, a town of less than 5,000 people located about halfway between Houston and Austin.
Barrett said the experience of being a high school football star in a state known for its obsession with the sport was hard to explain.
“I think probably the Friday Night Lights kind of feel,” said Barrett. “Everybody’s seen Friday Night Lights movie, talking about Odessa Permian. That’s kind of how it is throughout Texas as a whole. A lot of people are invested in high school football in Texas.”
Dobbins and Barrett were both four-star prospects coming out of high school. Both spurned offers from in-state schools after Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes convinced them that they would miss out on something big unless they headed north to Columbus.
“I was in 11th grade, I was a junior,” said Barrett. “I felt like Ohio State, if I didn’t go there, I was going to be somewhere else and they were going to win a national championship without me.”
“I think it was the end of my sophomore year,” said Dobbins. “That’s when we started talking. As time went on, I just built a great relationship with (OSU running backs) coach (Tony) Alford and coach Meyer as well, and I committed to them.”
“I know the Big Ten is a very competitive conference. So I wanted to play against the best teams, the best defenses,” Dobbins said. “Coach Meyer and his staff, I know they’re great. They’ll develop me as a man, not only a football player. I just felt like the Texas schools, they didn’t fit my personality or what I needed to do.”
Both players have done what they needed to since arriving in Columbus. Dobbins set a school record for rushing yards by a freshman. After five years, Barrett owns virtually every significant passing record in OSU history and helped lead the 2014 team to the national championship he was worried he might miss if he went elsewhere.
But although they are on opposite ends of their college football careers, the Cotton Bowl represents the same opportunity for both: the chance to play close to home, in front of a big group of friends and family.
“It’s just a blessing for it to be in Texas, my family down in Houston and Beaumont to be able to come up and watch me play,” said Barrett. “I chose a place that’s not close to home and they wouldn’t be able to watch me play. They see me on TV, but for them to be able to come watch me play in person means a lot to them.”
Barrett said his mother is handling all of those ticket requests, and while he didn’t know the final headcount, he was sure it was going to be a big number.
“My mom is probably still writing down people’s names. It’s a lot of people. I know it’s well over 20,” he said.
Dobbins also delegated ticket duties to his mother, who had lined up seats for a handful of close family members. But he also expects a big crowd of supporters from his hometown as well.
“They’ll be there. I didn’t get them tickets, but they got their own. That’s what kind of people they are. They’re great people, supportive,” he said.
While both have made a lasting mark in Ohio, their Texas roots clearly still run deep. A reporter asked Barrett if he still considered himself a Texan, even after five years in the Buckeye state.
“That’s almost disrepectful to come at me like that. Of course I do. I love Ohio, but I’m from the great state of Texas, no doubt about it. I want to make that really clear. I can’t believe you asked me that. You kind of hurt me,” he said, laughing, but probably not totally joking.
As for Dobbins, he was excited to reestablish his Lonestar State bona fides with a trip to the state’s famed fast food chain Whataburger.
“I had a triple-meat burger with all the stuff on it. Cheese and all that,” Dobbins said. “A triple-meat seems pretty big to everybody else, but it’s not big to me. I have a pretty big appetite.”