The nation saw J.T. Barrett at his best last Saturday, when the Ohio State quarterback threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more in a sparkling performance that paced the Buckeyes to an upset of Michigan State. A few weeks earlier, coach Urban Meyer saw the true measure of his redshirt freshman in a far different setting. ¶ Barrett limped through the second half against Penn State on a sprained knee. In his worst game of the season, he had thrown two interceptions as the Buckeyes blew a 17-0 lead on the road, then had to rally his team in the face of a frenzied crowd to tie the score in overtime. ¶ "To see him lead an offense as a redshirt freshman into the student section, down by seven in the first overtime, I'll probably never forget that look," Meyer said. "He's one of the toughest cats I've ever been around."

On that bad knee, Barrett ran for two hard-earned touchdowns to bail out the Buckeyes in double overtime. While that victory on Oct. 25 might have been his most dramatic of the season, it wasn't the first time he helped lift his team out of dire circumstances. Since stepping in for the injured Braxton Miller — the Big Ten's most valuable player the past two seasons — Barrett has blossomed into one of the best first-year quarterbacks in Ohio State history.

The 6-1 Texan enters Saturday's game against the Gophers ranked second in the nation in passing efficiency with a 172.9 rating. He has thrown for 26 touchdowns, seven more than any other quarterback in the Big Ten, and has run for eight TDs. After starting the year at No. 3 on the Buckeyes' depth chart, Barrett leads the conference in total offense (2,738 yards).

Ohio State's prospects for this season were thought to be seriously damaged when Miller had season-ending shoulder surgery in August. But his understudy has the Buckeyes thinking big, behind an offense averaging a Big Ten-high 46 points per game.

"They've done a great job of bringing [Barrett] along," Gophers coach Jerry Kill said. "He has the same type of running ability [as Miller], but he throws the ball better right now, I believe, and Braxton threw it good. This kid's on fire right now."

Though Barrett's given name is Joe Thomas, the Ohio State media relations department noted that his initials could also stand for "just terrific." Last Saturday, on the road against then-No. 8 Michigan State, he came up with his most impressive performance of the season. Facing the nation's fifth-best defense, Barrett completed 16 of 26 passes for 300 yards — including touchdown strikes of 79 and 44 yards — and ran for 86 yards as the Buckeyes defeated their first ranked team this fall.

When Barrett made his college debut against Navy, it marked only the second time since 1950 that Ohio State had started a freshman quarterback in a season opener. Meyer said Barrett has made "incredible jumps" since then, finding his footing quickly after a shaky start.

In Ohio State's home opener, he managed to complete only nine of 29 passes and threw three interceptions in a 35-21 loss to Virginia Tech. The following week against Kent State, Barrett rebounded with a school-record six TD passes. That started a roll in which the Buckeyes scored 50 or more points in four consecutive games, with Barrett throwing for 16 touchdowns and running for three more.

Meyer said Barrett has a "relentless approach" and compared his diligent preparation to Florida's Tim Tebow and Utah's Alex Smith, top-shelf quarterbacks whom Meyer tutored earlier in his career. Barrett also has been aided by a talented corps of receivers. Sophomore Michael Thomas has 31 catches, including seven for touchdowns, and senior Devin Smith is a deep-ball specialist.

"His biggest jump is just being the manager," Meyer said of Barrett, who is among 16 semifinalists for the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award. "He does a good job getting us in the right play. He understands defenses very well now. And his accuracy, when he's accurate, that's a tough one to stop. He's a very intellectual quarterback, very smart quarterback."

Meyer called Barrett a "move-the-chains'' player, one who uses short passes to work his way downfield. Against Michigan State, he showed he can make big plays, too.

And in the Penn State game, Barrett showed his team something entirely different. Already, Meyer is being asked what will happen with his quarterbacks next fall, when Miller is expected to return for his senior year. At this point, the Buckeyes are concentrating on where Barrett might take them this season.

"We knew J.T. was a great leader,'' running back Ezekiel Elliott said. "The thing was just getting him experience. Every week, he's gotten better and better.''