J.T. Barrett Finally Ready to Lead Ohio State on Big Ten Title Run

Between the eastern location and opponent across the field, Ohio State's trip to College Park, Maryland, on Saturday hardly seemed like a traditional Big Ten opener for the Buckeyes.

But what was familiar for Ohio State was the outcome—a 52-24 mashing of Maryland—and its feeling afterward, as the Buckeyes re-established their status as the conference favorite heading into the heart of the 2014 campaign.

A big part of that was the play of redshirt freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett, who for the third consecutive game showed steady improvement following Ohio State's Sept. 6 loss to Virginia Tech.

In just three quarters and one drive in the fourth quarter, Barrett compiled 338 total yards and five touchdowns, engineering a Buckeyes offense that tallied 533 yards against the overmatched Terrapins.

"He's a very good quarterback. He had some nice throws," Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer told ESPN sideline reporter Todd McShay after the game. "J.T.'s one of our strong points right now."

No, Barrett isn't Braxton Miller, the two-time Big Ten MVP whom he replaced due to injury just two weeks prior to the start of the season.

But what Barrett has accomplished in the weeks following OSU's defeat at the hands of the Hokies has been as much as anyone could have asked from the Wichita Falls, Texas, native, who is likely on his way to being named the Big Ten's Freshman of the Week for the fourth time in five games this season.

"A young guy like that on the road," Meyer said as he set the scene for the Ohio State radio network in a postgame interview. "He's just growing up so fast."

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Efficiency has been the norm for the Buckeyes under Barrett's direction, both in the air and on the ground. Attempting 23 passes on the day, Barrett completed 18 throws for 267 yards and four scores, adding 71 rushing yards and a touchdown to complement Ezekiel Elliott's team-high 139 rushing yards.

That brings Barrett's post-Virginia Tech-loss, three-game combined totals to 909 passing yards, 156 rushing yards, 15 total touchdowns (14 passing, one rushing) and just one interception.

To say that the freshman's improvement in the last 28 days has been dramatic would be an understatement, as it's no coincidence that Ohio State hasn't scored fewer than 50 points in its last three games.

And while the Buckeyes may be used to a record-setting pace with Meyer's spread attack, it didn't seem so simple four weeks ago when the Hokies stifled the Ohio State offense with a Bear, cover-zero approach on defense.

But as ensuing opponents have attempted to emulate what at the time appeared to be a blueprint for beating the Buckeyes, they've found themselves picked apart by Barrett and an evidently improving offense.

"The Virginia Tech game, I think everybody's looking at that," Meyer said. "They're putting a lot of pressure on our quarterback, and he's answering."

Maryland was no different on Saturday, loading the box in an attempt to take away Elliott and force the ball into the hands of Ohio State's freshman signal-caller.

Barrett responded by completing passes to nine different receivers at varying lengths down the field, opening lanes for both himself and Elliott when he wasn't otherwise finding the end zone.

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"We have a lot of confidence right now in our quarterback and our skill positions," Meyer said. "There's a lot of opportunities to make plays because we're confident. We weren't that way in the first game because we didn't show it in practice enough. Now they're starting to practice that way."

That's bad news for the rest of the Big Ten, at least in the East Division, which once again appears to be on a collision course to have its champion decided on Nov. 8 in East Lansing, Michigan. 

With Ohio State playing as well as it has in the past month, only Michigan State can match the Buckeyes' momentum, who are headed into a bye week before tuneup games against Rutgers, Penn State and Illinois before their showdown with the Spartans.

Of course, a lot can happen for both teams before then—starting with tonight's prime-time matchup between Michigan State and Nebraska.

And while no defense Ohio State has seen—or will see—can stack up to the Spartans, Barrett's performance has created a cause for optimism, which couldn't have otherwise been found in Columbus a month ago.

"He's playing very well," Meyer said of his emerging star signal-caller. "The neat thing is, we can still get better."

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Ohio State Lead Writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes obtained firsthand. All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.