Ohio State Has Found Some Luck Playing the Backup QB In the Past

The Ohio State Buckeyes have had to call on their backup quarterback signal caller in high-leverage situations in the past. The first one that comes to mind is obviously going from JT Barrett to Cardale Jones, which ended in a Championship.

That season started with Braxton Miller at the helm, and he got injured as well, so nearly that entire season was with a backup.

In the recent history of Ohio State Football, the transition from starter to backup has treated the Buckeyes well. In the last 25 games with a starter, the Buckeyes have a 22-3 record. 

In the last 25 games started by the backup, Ohio State owns a 23-2 record. One better than the scheduled starter. 

This stat is impressive from two different perspectives. It shows the consistent preparedness of the backup and the standard to which they are held in that quarterback room; no matter which head coach era they played in, the next guy up has always been prepared.

The other angle is how high the rest of the team has raised their level. Each time a situation like this has come up, the rest of the Buckeyes have taken their game to another level to carry the water. 

It's impressive on a program level that the Buckeyes don't miss a beat when most programs would crumble under similar circumstances. 

This time around, the challenge is going to be immense. 

The Buckeyes have shown flaws up to this point in the season and are certainly not a perfect team by any stretch of the imagination. That is the reality in today's day and age in college football. 

The wealth is certainly spread out amongst the league, and while that is a good thing for college football as a whole, it makes this situation pretty challenging.

One of the major positives is that the Buckeyes had this injury happen right at the bye week, which gave them a few days of buffer to come up with a firm plan. The negative here is that they have a night game at USC on the other side.

No welcome handshake to the first start for either Luke Fahey or Tavien St. Clair. 

Regardless, the Buckeyes are going to have to lift their level of play all around. After USC, they host the nasty Oregon defense before hosting the salty Northwestern Wildcats. It doesn't get easier after that, as there is a trip to Nebraska and a home game against TTUN.

The challenge is going to be stiff; we'll see if the Buckeyes can find luck similar to what they have had in the past.