Meet Ohio State’s Cardale Jones, the third-string quarterback with a full plate this week.
He’s being asked to fill in for not one, but two Heisman Trophy candidates in Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett.
He’s being asked to lead the Buckeyes to a Big Ten championship against Wisconsin on Saturday in his first career start.
Oh, he’s also being asked to do all that well enough that it convinces the College Football Playoff committee to give Ohio State (11-1) a playoff spot ahead of TCU (10-1) and Baylor (10-1).
Barrett played for Ted Ginn Sr. at Cleveland Glenville High School, a Buckeye pipeline that also produced 2006 Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith and Ted Ginn, among others. Ginn Sr. said the redshirt sophomore is up to the challenge.
"I just think he's a great kid and he's a great player," Ginn Sr. told Sporting News. "You might be surprised what might happen. When you know the kid, you won’t be surprised. I won't be."
Here’s are five things you should know about Jones.
Yes, he tweeted 'that tweet'
Jones' infamous tweet on Oct. 5, 2012 is still a punch-line for Ohio State haters. You remember this one, right?
"Why should we have to go to class if we came here to play FOOTBALL, we ain't come to play SCHOOL, classes are POINTLESS," Jones wrote.
Jones was suspended afterward, which has changed the course of his career.
"I think it was out of context," Ginn Sr. said. "He was young then and learned a lesson. He learned people will take something like that out of context."
Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said Sunday that at that time Jones was, "A talented guy who was a mess." After three years, that's no longer the case.
"He has some good support back home from some people," Meyer said. "We had them come down, and they weren't pleasant meetings. I noticed last year a complete transformation from this very immature person, not just a player, but a person. In the classroom, he’s doing very well. He is taking care of his business."
Different size, same style
Jones’ 6-5, 250-pound frame stands out on the field. He’s much bigger than Miller (6-2, 215 pounds) and Barrett (6-1, 222 pounds).
Other than that, Meyer said the offense doesn’t change much. Jones might be bigger than Miller and Barrett, but he brings the same dual-threat skill-set.
"He’s as athletic (as Barrett) and has a much stronger arm," Meyer said. "He's got a cannon for an arm. Those are the differences. There isn't much difference other than size. That's the biggest difference."
Experience obviously is different. Jones attempted just 19 passes with 26 rushing attempts, but he finished off the 42-28 win against Michigan last Saturday. He completed 2-of-3 passes for seven yards and rushed twice for 18 yards.
More prepared than you think
Miller missed spring practice, and Jones and Barrett split those reps. So when Miller went down with a season-ending shoulder injury, it’s not like Ohio State wasn’t prepared.
Barrett edged out Jones for the starting job in the fall, but the situation isn’t quite the same heading into the Big Ten championship game.
"The difference is Cardale is walking into an experienced huddle," Meyer said. "He’s got five linemen there that are playing well and a 1,000-yard tailback. It's a much different situation for him than it was for J.T. in our first game."
He battled Miller in high school
Jones and Miller, who played at Wayne (Huber Heights), were highly-touted in-state recruits, and Jones helped Glenville beat Wayne 57-28 in 2009.
Jones led Glenville to the state championship game that season. Miller took Wayne to the state title game the following season.
Both were members of Ohio State’s 2011 recruiting class under Jim Tressel. Miller was the favorite to win the starting job all along, but Jones decided to commit despite offers from Michigan and Penn State.
He can lead OSU to playoffs
While the playoff committee might be wrestling with the question of what to do with Ohio State now that Barrett is out and Jones is in, Meyer and Ginn Sr. have no reservations.
"It's next-man up," Meyer said. "It's a tough-ass game. Every program teaches that, but it's interesting when you see that come to fruition and the next guy up comes in and competes hard or harder than the guy that went down."
Ginn Sr. said he spoke with Jones on the phone Sunday night, and he expects Jones to take advantage of the opportunity and answer all those questions Saturday.
"He knows his position as a team player," Ginn Sr. said. "He understands being at Ohio State and being from Ohio. He understands that it’s his job is to serve and be a team player. That's the key. Everything else has fallen into place."
