PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. — Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett is not mad that Clemson safety Jadar Johnson thinks he is not one of the best quarterbacks the Tigers have faced this year.
“There are probably some people that feel that way in the media, which is cool, too,” said Barrett during the Fiesta Bowl’s Media Day on Thursday as the second-ranked Tigers get set to face No. 3 Ohio State on Saturday as part of the College Football Playoff. “They have a right to their own opinion. It is not for me to really fight my stance. I know how I feel about myself. I’m comfortable in my skills and the guys we have on offense and our team.”
Barrett, the Big Ten Player of the Year, has totaled 3,275 yards this year and has accounted for 33 total touchdowns. He has 24 touchdown passes to just five interceptions, while completing 61.8 percent of 346 passes. He is also 26-3 as a starter.
However, on Tuesday Johnson said Barrett was more of a runner than a passer and that he was not worried too much about Barrett as a passer.
“If he feels like I’m not the best quarterback they went against, that is just how he feels,” Barrett said. “I don’t have a feeling one way or another. There wasn’t a lot to talk about. I saw what he said.”
Barrett said Johnson’s comments will not give him any extra motivation, and the Buckeyes are not hanging the quotes on the bulletin boards in the locker room.
“We are okay. We are good. Somebody in the past said something about our defense. They saw how that went,” Barrett said. “That’s how we feel about that. If you want to talk, that is okay. We still have to go play the game.”
Of course Barrett is talking about when Oklahoma third-string quarterback Austin Kendall called OSU’s defense “basic” and added that starting quarterback Baker Mayfield will “light them up.” That did not work out too well for the Sooners as the Buckeyes won the game, 45-24.
At the end of the game, the Ohio State fans chanted, “Basic Defense!”
“I’m not trying to get in any battle with him or nothing. I don’t want to really go back and forth,” Johnson said. “We will have to play on the 31st and we will see how that goes.”
Johnson did admit he let things go a little too far, and he should have kept his comments to himself.
“I really should not have said all of that. I really did not mean any harm,” the senior said. “He is definitely a good player. He is 26-3 you know as a starting quarterback, he is definitely a winner. I was just giving an honest assessment of what I thought of his strength and weaknesses.
“All players that are good or bad have strengths and weaknesses. But like I said, I said a little too much. I should not have said that. He is definitely a good player.”
This was not the first time Johnson let his mouth get in front of his feet. Prior to this year’s game against Louisville he promised he would body slam quarterback Lamar Jackson if he tried to hurdle him in the game.
Of course Johnson backed up his words in that game. He had six tackle that night, an interception and one pass broken up. But Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney and his teammates rather he keep his mouth closed in the future.
“(Swinney) talked to me at practice and told me to watch what I say,” Johnson said while recalling the conversation. “We don’t need to add any more fuel to the fire, and just do all of my talking on the field.”
“They know how it goes with the media,” he continued. “They know sometimes you might say a little too much and the media just runs with it. But they know I did not mean any harm by it. They definitely told me to watch what I was saying. They had the best interest for me and told me not to say too much and don’t let them bait me into saying anything wrong.”
–Photo Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports