Urban Meyer Comments on Ohio State QB Battle Between JT Barrett, Cardale Jones

J.T. Barrett replaced Cardale Jones at quarterback as Ohio State's offense floundered in a 20-13 win over Northern Illinois on Saturday in Columbus, and head coach Urban Meyer indicated it may finally be time to name a permanent starter when asked if he was prepared to home in on one signal-caller. 

"There might be some truth to that," Meyer said, per ESPN.com's Austin Ward. "Not that I'm going to call some armchair [analysts] and ask them what they think, but I do believe in game reps. That's how players get better, and that's something that I'm going to spend a lot of time thinking about."

Jones drew the start for the third straight game, but two interceptions over his first nine passes forced Meyer to put the ball in Barrett's hands. 

And while Barrett wasn't much better, he did lead the Buckeyes to a game-tying touchdown drive in the second quarter before a pick-six gave them some breathing room in the second half. 

Jones finished his afternoon 4-of-9 for 36 yards and two picks, while Barrett went 11-of-19 for 97 yards, a touchdown and an interception. 

Here's a look at how the two heralded passers compare statistically through three games:  

Player	Completions	Attempts	Pass Yds	TD	INT	Rush Yds	Rush TD
Cardale Jones	26	46	334	2	3	115	1
J.T. Barrett	20	35	193	2	1	65	0

Ward noted one advanced metric gives Jones a major edge at this stage in the battle: 

After getting benched Saturday, Jones temporarily changed his Twitter bio to reflect his status as the team's second-string signal-caller, as Bleacher Report documented on Instagram:

However, Meyer didn't identify which player will start next week's home game against Western Michigan when pressed on the topic. 

"Good question," Meyer said, per Ward. "I don't know that right now. I haven't had time to think about it."

Despite the Buckeyes' slow start, they're still 3-0. And with an embarrassment of riches at quarterback, Meyer will have plenty to work with regardless of which route he takes. 

But as the last two games have reinforced, a revolving door under center isn't going to solve any of the team's problems. Once Meyer settles on a long-term solution, the Buckeyes can move forward and set their sights on establishing chemistry and consistency while defending their status as national champions.