Defense, not quarterback, is Meyer's biggest concern as Ohio State prepares for Maryland
J.T. Barrett is filling in nicely for Braxton Miller and has played superbly while leading Ohio State to back-to-back wins.
Coach Urban Meyer's assessment of the defense isn't anywhere near that.
While Barrett goes for another strong performance under center, the defense may again have its hands full when the No. 20 Buckeyes face Maryland for the first time Saturday in its first Big Ten home game.
Barrett became the starting quarterback after Miller was ruled out for the season due to a shoulder injury sustained in August, leaving the Buckeyes (3-1) without the two-time reigning conference MVP.
While similar accolades aren't expected, Barrett leads the Big Ten with 13 passing touchdowns - against just five interceptions - to go with another score on the ground.
The red-shirt freshman has been particularly impressive over the past two games, completing 49 of 66 passes for 642 yards with 10 TDs and one pick after hitting 21 of 44 attempts for 445 yards with three scores and four INTs in the first two games.
"J.T. continues to be a very good distributor, completing a high percentage of his balls," Meyer said. "We're giving him more and more responsibility about getting us in the right play, which is a big part of what the quarterback's expected to do."
Barrett certainly lived up to expectations last Saturday, compiling a season-high 330 yards with four touchdowns while connecting on 26 of 36 passes in a 50-28 win over Cincinnati. He added a season-high 79 yards on 14 carries and ranks second on the team with 205 rushing yards.
Barrett's recent success has also led to questions about next season, when Miller is expected to return for his final year of eligibility.
"Braxton is our quarterback," Meyer said. "To be fair to Braxton, Big Ten Player of the Year. Good to know we've got both of them."
Meyer's immediate concern is the defense, which has allowed at least 324 yards in three of four games after surrendering a season-high 422 to the Bearcats with 352 coming through the air, including touchdowns of 83, 78, 60 and 19 yards.
"I hear someone say, 'Just take away those four plays ...'" Meyer said. "But you can't just take away those four plays. That's part of the game.
"We gave up 360 yards receiving. Four plays equated well over 250. And so I wanted - that's my job - to find out why. And after our explanation conversation, I know the why now, and I'm satisfied with the direction we're going. We've just got to get them corrected."
Doing that while winning a 17th straight Big Ten game may be a tall order against the Terrapins (4-1, 1-0), who are averaging 308.3 passing yards with seven touchdowns in three games - including two wins.
Maryland received five votes in this week's AP poll after winning 37-15 at Indiana in its Big Ten debut last Saturday. However, it's unclear who will start at quarterback after C.J. Brown suffered a sprained left wrist against the Hoosiers.
Caleb Rowe replaced him and completed 12 of 18 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns, but he's not a threat to run like Brown, who leads the Terps with 266 yards and five touchdowns on 56 carries.
"We'll find out on game day," coach Randy Edsall said of who he'll turn to against the Buckeyes.
Whoever starts will likely try to find wide receiver Stefon Diggs on a regular basis since he's second in the league with 29 catches for 398 yards and two touchdowns. The junior had six receptions for 112 yards and a TD pass from Brown last week.
While Maryland's offense should prove formidable, Meyer is expecting to deal with a raucous crowd as the Terps play their first Big Ten home game after 62 years in the ACC.
"I know it's what we're going to walk into," he said. "I've never been to this stadium. It's going to be a noon game, but I imagine I've been at places where this will be an atmosphere they've been working on this one. This will be a big time atmosphere."
