Then came a smile.
That’s because he wasn’t talking about the treatment he had just gotten from the Penn State defense, which was rated No. 1 in the nation.
No he was talking about what happened Saturday night once wave after wave of Buckeye fans – part of a crowd of 109 302, the second largest in Ohio Stadium history – poured onto the field after he had engineered one of the greatest comebacks in Ohio State history.
»RELATED: 5 highlights from Buckeyes’ win over Penn State
Barrett ended the game completing his last 16 passes – 13 of them in the final quarter, three of them for touchdowns – as the Buckeyes come back from 15 points down to slip by Penn State, 39-38.
Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said it was the greatest comeback he’s ever been a part of in his 31 years as a college coach.
Credit: DaytonDailyNews
That’s why the crowd especially engulfed Barrett, although he admitted he didn’t get the same hands-on squeeze he got after Ohio State beat Michigan last year.
“That game somebody pinched my ass,” he said before catching himself. “Oh don’t say ass, my mom might see that. Say bottom….And nobody kissed me.
“But Buckeye Nation did show a lot of love tonight.”
So did Meyer who was effusive in the praise of his senior quarterback:
“I’ve never had a kid play perfect, but damn he was close tonight – 33 of 39. And I can count four drops off the top of my head and two penalties that kept him from big completions. That’s the No. 1 defense in in America…I just can’t tell you how proud I am of J. T.
“You guys can figure out the records. I’ll just tell you man to man. This is one man talking about another man. I don’t know if I’ve ever had more respect for a human being…and as a person.
“You earn respect. You witness people in dire straits at times, tough situations…And in college football it’s either yes or no in those situations and he was a big yes tonight. He’s a great leader and he’s a guy I love to death.”
»RELATED: Meyer, Barrett get last laugh again
The big communal hug of Barrett by Meyer, the rest of the OSU players and the Buckeye fans wasn’t just for what he did – 328 passing yards, four TD passes and 95 rushing yards — but for what it meant.
The victory kept the No. 6 Buckeyes – now 7-1 on the season – in the hunt for the Big Ten title and especially a chance at the playoffs and a shot at a national crown.
It also inserted Barrett squarely into the race for the Heisman Trophy this season.
“I think that H-word is appropriate after today’s game,” Meyer said.
While Barrett dodged any Heisman discussion – “Next we got to beat Iowa, that’s what I’m focusing on.” – some of his teammates pulled no punches.
Center Billy Price said he thought Barrett should be a Heisman frontrunner
So did receiver Terry McLaurin: “He’s an incredible leader. That’s a Heisman candidate right there.”
And as the game moved into the fourth quarter the Buckeyes needed some incredible leadership.
They had trailed the entire game – twice by as many as 18 points – after several miscues on special teams and numerous penalties.
As offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson put it: “Sometimes we stumbled around like we were punch drunk. We looked lethargic.”
That’s when Barrett started listening to the voices in his head.
“Coach Meyer had said, ‘Go win the game!’ and that was going through my head the entire game. We have to go win the game.”
Luckily Meyer had said that to him early in the game because through much of the fourth quarter, he admits he was a nervous wreck:
“I think I say this often. There’s really only one guy panicking and it was me.”
Barrett laughed at that and admitted they didn’t talk much coming down the stretch:
“He had yelled so much I think he hurt himself. So I just kept hearing his (early) words: ‘Go win the game!’ It kept permeating through my head and I tried to relay that to everyone.”
Wilson praised the way Barrett stepped up at game’s end:
“Even as mature as he is, he was out there by himself. He’s got to walk that walk. And today he walked a grown man walk. That was big time football.”
Barrett said Wilson – new to the Buckeyes’ coaching staff this year after six seasons at the Indiana head coach – gave him some valuable advice about leadership:
“He told me something interesting I hadn’t heard. He said you have different clubs like in golf. You have different ways to go about different situations. You can’t come across just one way. Sometimes you gotta come across aggressive and intense. You got to motivate guys.
“Other times you need poise. Let everybody know everything will be alright. We just need to stay together and everything will be all right.”
Barrett said he did the latter Saturday.
And on three straight possessions in the fourth quarter he completed touchdown passes. With 11:05 left he threw a 38-yard TD to Johnnie Dixon
With 4:20 left he hit Dixon again, this time for a 10-yard score.
And with 1:48 remaining he found tight end Marcus Baugh over the middle for a 16-yard TD to give the Buckeyes a 39-38 lead. The two-point conversion failed.
Barrett entered the game tied with Drew Brees for 90 touchdown passes, the most in Big Ten history.
His four against the previously unbeaten Nittany Lions gives him 94.
His 423 total yards is the most ever in a game by an OSU quarterback. It broke the record set by Art Schlichter in 1981.
For all the accolades, Barrett felt the wrath of many OSU fans in early September when the Buckeyes were embarrassed here by Oklahoma, 31-16. Many people on social meeting clamored for his benching.
Meyer said he never paid attention to that talk.
Saturday, Barrett shrugged all that off: “I don’t focus on critiques and what people have to say about me. Everybody has a right to an opinion.
“What I focus on is that I’m at a great spot right now. It’s my senior year. I’m the quarterback at Ohio State. I love the guys in the locker room. I love the brotherhood we have. I’m grateful for the position God has put me in.
“It feels great.”
Well except maybe for the postgame pounding on his arms, chest and the top of his head.
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