The Ohio State Buckeyes added another respectable win to their record on Saturday, when they defeated Michigan State 42-28. Ohio, Seed Seven, is now the first Big Ten team to win all of its conference games three years in a row. However, the game wasn't entirely pleasant. Expected Heisman Trophy candidate J.T. Barrett went down with a season-crippling leg injury. This makes the second excellent Buckeye Quarterback to go down with injuries in recent months. Earlier this year, Braxton Miller's season was also ended after a gut-wrenching injury.
Braxton Miller's path to the Heisman Trophy once looked clear and within reach. Miller had 24 touchdowns and threw for over 2,000 yards in the previous season. If it was anybody's turn, it was his.
However, a recent ESPN report captures the situation that changed it all:
"Ohio State confirmed the news...that Miller's injury would end his season. Miller had an MRI on his throwing shoulder in the morning. Widely tabbed as a Heisman Trophy contender this preseason, Miller suffered the injury during a noncontact portion of practice just hours after the senior declared himself 100 percent healthy following offseason surgery to the shoulder."
For some colleges, an event like this would leave a school without hope. However, State was not ready to give up on this season.
Instead, the team selected this season's redshirt freshman, J.T. Barret, to fill Miller's shoes. However, according to the NY Times, even their stand-in savior's season has reached an end:
"More people gathered around...an air cast was placed on Barrett's leg, and he was carted off the field. Later, he was found to have an ankle fracture and was ruled out for the rest of the season. Barrett, a redshirt freshman, had emerged as a Heisman Trophy contender. He had been the engineer of Coach Urban Meyer's spread offense. "
This was especially upsetting. Earlier in the game, Barrett broke the Big Ten record for most touchdowns in a season.
What do you think about the situation? Let us know in the comment section below.
