COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A closer look at the standouts in Ohio State's dominant 52-24 road win over Maryland Saturday.
QB J.T. Barrett
The redshirt freshman continues to rewrite the record books and rack up individual honors as his rapid development continues for the Buckeyes. Barrett was staggeringly efficient as a passer, completing 18 of his 23 attempts for 267 yards and four more touchdowns while spreading the ball around to nine different receivers in that famed "distributor" role Urban Meyer has been touting behind center. And Barrett is proving he's no slouch on the ground either, adding 71 yards rushing and another score to keep the Terrapins off balance and spark a blowout that has the Buckeyes again looking like a legitimate contender in the Big Ten.
The Buckeyes have eased him into the rotation behind starter Curtis Grant, but the takeover at middle linebacker is well underway as the true freshman is already starting to live up to the advance billing about his freakish ability. McMillan's interception and 19-yard return for a touchdown will only take the hype to another level, but he was also sure in his tackling with four hits and proved he doesn't give up on plays with a critical fumble recovery after teammate Darron Lee had the ball popped loose following an interception just before halftime. Ohio State had nothing to complain about with Grant, but the future is sneaking up on him.
DE Joey Bosa
The case is building every week that the sophomore might be the nation's most lethal weapon at defensive end. Bosa added another sack to his credit and had 1.5 tackles for loss on top of that, making a living in the offensive backfield and looking downright unstoppable up front in what was actually a better defensive outing for the Buckeyes than the scoreboard might suggest. Bosa isn't even halfway through his second season with the program and he appears to already be the best defensive player in the Big Ten. What else does he have in store this season after Ohio State returns from its bye next weekend?
