Urban Meyer says if J.T. Barrett practices well 'he'll start against Illinois'

The Buckeyes made it through another home game at night, besting the Minnesota Gophers with Cardale Jones as the starting quarterback. With J.T. Barrett having served his suspension on Saturday, and having watched the game from the booth, Meyer once again had to answer questions about who will start moving forward.

Who will be the starting quarterback?

• "If J.T. has a good week at practice, he'll start against Illinois," Meyer opened with at today's presser.
• It wasn't an easy call to start Barrett should he prove it, but Meyer thinks "its the right thing at this time."
• Barrett reportedly spoke at halftime, but Meyer despite having heard that too, didn't see anything personally.
• Seeing what the coaches see on the sideline is one of Barrett's strengths, he's like a coach on the field.

Other offensive notes

• Jones was able to secure a deep touchdown pass and a long rushing touchdown against the Gophers. At times he looked inconsistent, but overall was able to get the job done.
• "He's one of our best players, he's one of our best practiced players, " Meyer noted about Jalin Marshall. He even stepped up in the classroom and Meyer is really pleased with his maturation since last year.
• Despite injuries at wideout, Michael Thomas and Jalin Marshall have stepped up, but Jeff Greene is starting to make moves and Marcus Baughn has earned more reps.

Injury update

• Braxton Miller had a scary moment on Saturday when his head hit the ground hard enough for him to leave the game and not return. He has a "sore neck", but will resume practice this week.

Players of the game

• Offense: Ezekiel Elliott and Pat Elflein
• Defense: Joey Bosa and Vonn Bell
• Special teams: Denzel Ward