Ohio State QB J.T. Barrett arrested on OVI charge Saturday morning

Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett was cited early Saturday morning on an OVI charge, Ohio State announced. Barrett has been suspended for the Buckeyes' Nov. 7 matchup with Minnesota.

Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett was cited early Saturday morning on a misdemeanor charge of operating a motor vehicle while impaired, Ohio State announced Saturday morning. Barrett has been suspended for the Buckeyes' Nov. 7 matchup with Minnesota. ElevenWarriors.com first reported the arrest.

According to ElevenWarriors.com, Barrett's blood-alcohol concentration registered on a breathalyzer just above 0.08, the legal limit in Ohio for drivers age 21 or older. However, because Barrett is 20 years old, the legal limit for him is a 0.02 blood-alcohol concentration.

Barrett was arrested just north of Ohio State's campus after police observed him attempt to avoid an OVI checkpoint, ElevenWarriors.com reports. He was released to Cardale Jones, another Ohio State quarterback whom Barrett has been competing with for playing time this season.

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Barrett earned his first start of the season last week and led the Buckeyes to a 49–7 victory over Rutgers. Jones had started Ohio State's previous games, with Barrett coming off the bench occasionally, often in the red zone. Barrett's performance against the Scarlet Knights seemed to firm his grasp on the starting role. He completed 14 of 18 passes for 223 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions and rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns.

He has completed 66.1% of his passes this season for 472 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions while rushing for 329 yards and seven scores.

Barrett made an immediate impact as a redshirt freshman last season when he was thrust into the starting role just over a week before the season after Braxton Miller suffered a shoulder injury. After a Week 2 loss to Virginia Tech, Barrett rallied the Buckeyes to 10 straight wins before breaking his ankle in Ohio State's win over Michigan. Jones filled in for Barrett, leading the Buckeyes to wins in the Big Ten championship game, Sugar Bowl and College Football Playoff championship game. That set off a high-profile three-quarterback battle for Ohio State's starting job this off-season, later reduced to two when Miller opted to switch from quarterback to H-back.

Ohio State, 8–0 and ranked No. 1 in the AP poll, is on a bye this week before hosting Minnesota next Saturday.