In the end, coach Urban Meyer got what he wanted: a crowd of 100,000 and 189 more for good measure, enough to set a national attendance mark for a spring game. The Gray team, led by redshirt freshman quarterback Joe Burrow, won 28-17. Here are five things to know about the game:
1. Attendance record: Meyer pleaded all week for Ohio State fans to fill the Horseshoe. The 100,189 mark breaks the old record of 99,391 Ohio State set in 2015.
Meyer joked that strength coach Mickey Marotti was in charge of the weather and made a couple of calls. The temperature hit 75 degrees, and there were no clouds. Meyer walked up to freshman offensive lineman Michael Jordan before the game and asked him how he feels. He told Meyer, “I’m really nervous.”
That’s what Meyer wanted.
“You’ve gotta find out how guys perform in those kind of arenas and those kind of situations,” He said. “I’m extremely grateful to Ohio State and Buckeye Nation.”
2. Barrett's performance: The redshirt junior Barrett completed 13 of 22 passes for 102 yards and rushed eight times for 16 yards for the Scarlet team. He was sacked three times.
In the second quarter, Barrett threw an interception to safety Malik Hooker, who returned it 82 yards for a score. On the Scarlet’s next drive, cornerback Marshon Lattimore intercepted Barrett.
“It’s a spring game and, of course, it’s a game you want to win,” Barrett said, “so I’m upset the Scarlet team lost. But it’s also a learning opportunity. It’s a practice. There were some reads I messed up. There were some things I could have taken that were open instead of going for the big shot.”
3. Burrow's effort: Burrow cemented his status as the No. 2 quarterback, completing 14 of 23 passes for 196 yards with one interception and three touchdowns. Burrow's arm strength and running ability concerned Meyer last year, but he's gotten better and better.
“Joe Burrow has been coming on,” Meyer said. “He’s a grinder.”
4. Top receivers: Burrow's main targets were Terry McLaurin, a redshirt sophomore, and Torrance Gibson, a redshirt freshman who was recruited to play quarterback.
McLaurin had four receptions for 111 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown catch. Gibson caught six passes for 50 yards with two touchdowns.
Of Gibson, Meyer said, “He’s got a 35-inch vertical jump, and we’re going to teach him how to use that thing.”
5. Moving on: This was Ohio State's first public exhibition since the Fiesta Bowl victory over Notre Dame on Jan. 1. Numerous Buckeyes who will hear their name called in the NFL draft in less than two weeks left the program after that game.
Meyer has the same expectations for the players who were competing for starting jobs Saturday.
“The message was very clear to our team,” Meyer said. “If you’re going to play quarterback at Ohio State, you need to be a Heisman candidate. I don’t need phone calls: ‘Well, my son should be able to play.’ No, no. If you play quarterback at Ohio State in this offense, you have to be a Heisman candidate, or we’re going to suffer. You have to be a high draft pick to play defensive end. … We certainly don’t lower our standards just because a player moves on; that’s not what this place is all about.”
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