Quarterback battle a win-win for Buckeyes

Whenever there’s a quarterback controversy, it threatens to take years off the head coach’s life. Or else it’s greeted with the usual skepticism: If you have more than one starter, you really don’t have any.

Not this time.

“I’m about the most fortunate coach in the country,” said Ohio State’s Urban Meyer.

He said that after two-time Big Ten Player of the Year Braxton Miller opted out of the QB race to become a receiver for the Buckeyes.

Or maybe because of it.

After all, Meyer’s decision on Ohio State’s starting quarterback became a tad easier when his options were narrowed to two.

It’s very possible by the time you read this that he will have made up his mind, although he has said his choice won’t be revealed until that player trots out on the field on Labor Day night at Virginia Tech.

All we’ve known for sure the past few months is that there is no wrong choice.

There’s J.T. Barrett, who started every regular season game last season as a redshirt freshman for the injured Miller and set a Big Ten record for touchdowns (45) and 18 other school or league records en route to becoming a Heisman Trophy finalist.

Or there’s resident “goofball” and fourth-year junior Cardale Jones, who took over when Barrett broke his ankle against Michigan, leading the Buckeyes to wins in the Big Ten Championship Game and two College Football Playoff showdowns en route to the national championship.

No wonder Meyer used a coin flip to determine who took the first snap with the first team in fall camp.

“Anybody can play quarterback when you’re better than the team you’re playing and you’re surrounded by incredible skill,” Meyer said. “Creating that tough environment and how they respond ... (the decision will be) a gut feeling and it’s also witnessing those guys in that situation.

“I’ve seen Cardale Jones on fourth-and-one against Oregon launch himself while he’s looking at the first down marker. That’s buried in my brain.

“I’ve also seen J.T. Barrett with a second-degree MCL sprain at Penn State look at me and say he’s not coming out of the game (which the Buckeyes won on Barrett’s legs in double overtime).”

If this were a popularity contest, it would end in a tie.

“It’s one of the most refreshing competitions I’ve ever witnessed,” Meyer said. “Those two guys get along. When I say best friends, they’re unbelievable how well they get along.”

Linebacker Josh Perry said they both have qualities that draw people in. To a man, the Buckeyes say Barrett exudes leadership. Jones is the happy-go-lucky kid that everybody can’t help but like.

“Take football out of it, it’s two guys you’d want to hang around,” Perry said. “You see them in the morning and you get energy from them.”

Jones is nicknamed “12 Gauge” because of his jersey number and arm strength. Barrett can’t throw it as far with as much zip, but he compensates with accuracy, anticipation and command of Meyer’s zone-read offense.

You don’t rewrite the record books or accumulate 2,834 yards passing and 938 yards rushing in your first year as a starter without knowing what you’re doing.

Jones’ body of work isn’t as extensive, but he came through with little notice on the three biggest stages of the season as the Buckeyes turned back three teams — No. 11 Wisconsin, No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Oregon — boasting the three leading Heisman vote-getters.

“I love those guys, but at the end of the day who’s the quarterback doesn’t change the fact I’m going to be blocking a defensive end on almost every play,” offensive tackle Taylor Decker said. “And we’ve seen we can win with both.

“It’s a system. You put a guy in there, our great players play great and our offense works. Coach Meyer has taken that offense everywhere and it’s worked with all kinds of guys.”

Barrett began last fall as the No. 3 quarterback, but leapfrogged Jones on the depth chart when Miller reinjured his surgically-repaired shoulder. Barrett declined interview requests for most of the summer as he set out to win back the job.

“I just wanted to get away and focus on getting better,” he said. “You have to have a good summer to have a good year. We both want what’s best for the team.

“If I can help (Jones) with something, wow, I’d be a bad guy for not helping him. If it makes him better, it makes the team better. That’s our approach to it. I just want my best play to be better than his best play. I still want him to perform at his best, but I still want to be the (starting) quarterback. I don’t want to downplay that. I still want him to do well.”

Fair or not, Barrett comes off as the more studious quarterback, a perception fed by Jones’ love for Twitter and knack for making headlines with his tweets.

Flirting with UFC fighter Ronda Rousey in 140 characters or less doesn’t mean he’s not serious about his craft.

“He’s known for that tweet he put out,” defensive tackle Adolphus Washington said, referring to Jones infamous line about how he didn’t come to Ohio State to “play school.”

“What a lot of people don’t know is he’s an honor roll student. He gets good grades, is never in trouble or any of that stuff. He’s known for being goofy all the time, but he prepares. Playing in games made him grow up because in order to play you’ve got to take it more serious. With him being thrown into the fire, it definitely made him grow up.”

Just because somebody starts the opener doesn’t mean the questions will go away. It then becomes a matter of how long a leash the starter will have knowing there’s a very capable backup behind him.

“My main focus to winning the job is to just manage the game,” Jones said. “I’m pretty sure it will come down to who can manage the game better, who can manage the offense better, keep the offense in manageable third downs, who has the intangibles and who can show it more consistently.”