as excited as he is.Naturally, his enthusiastic video wen

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- J.T. Barrett was beaten out by Cardale Jones last year in one of the most intriguing training-camp quarterback races in the nation. Now, he is Ohio States undisputed starter and leader of a team thats reloading after the departure of 16 starters.Barretts value to the team cant be overstated. The Buckeyes fortunes likely will ride on the 21-year-old Texans ability to recapture some of the magic from the 2014 national championship season.With a freshman likely starting at tailback -- no more Ezekiel Elliott to carry the offensive load -- and a stable of unproven wide receivers, the Buckeyes will look to Barrett for guidance and big plays. Hes a junior, but on this team hes one of the veterans. Hes been chosen a captain for the second straight season.Last year we had a lot more older guys, of course, and this year Im trying to help the younger guys get into our standard of how we play here at Ohio State, Barrett said, and make sure that they understand we dont have rebuilding years. The expectations are not going to change because you all dont have experience.As a freshman, Barrett stepped up when Braxton Miller reinjured his shoulder in training camp. He led the Buckeyes to an 11-1 record before breaking his leg in the last regular season game against Michigan. Jones returned and Ohio State won its next three games and the national title.Last season was unsteady for Barrett. He and Jones battled for the starting job in training camp. Jones won, only to have Barrett replace him in the eighth game. Just after regaining the starting job, Barrett was suspended for a game after an arrest for driving under the influence.The Buckeyes stumbled against Michigan State for their only loss but rebounded with wins at Michigan and in the Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame to finish 12-1 and ranked No. 4 in the nation. Barrett completed 19 of 31 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns and 96 yards rushing in the 44-28 win over the Fighting Irish.He did not have a great training camp last year, for whatever reason, coach Urban Meyer said. There was a lot of distraction with Cardale and with whos going to play quarterback, and he was still overcoming a pretty serious injury that took a long time to heal, so he didnt have the spring reps that he needed. He did this year, and I anticipate hell be as good a quarterback as weve had, because its his show -- he knows it and hes prepared.Barrett is 15-2 as Ohio States starter, with a completion percentage of 64.2. Hes averaged more than 220 yards per game passing and 82 yards rushing in his 17 starts and has accounted for 58 touchdowns.Whether you had a veteran team or a young team, to have a J.T. Barrett, one of the best quarterbacks in the country, somebody you trust, you respect and is a great leader -- thats where it all starts, said Ed Warinner, Ohio States co-offensive coordinator. When youve got Pat Elflein at center and J.T. Barrett, thats a great starting point.Without Elliott, a first-round NFL draft pick, the Buckeyes are going to need a sharp passing game and a go-to receiver who can get open and catch the deep ball. The two projected starters at the wide receiver spots -- Noah Brown and Corey Smith -- got some playing time in 2014 but both are returning from leg injuries that sidelined them last season. H-backs Curtis Samuel and Dontre Wilson -- both also coming off injuries -- have shown they can be dependable targets, but the rest of the guys are unproven.Talent, speed and athleticism will not be an issue, Meyer said. Its how they perform. Thats where J.T. is going to be so critical, because youre going to see a lot of wide eyes. A lot of those guys have not played.Barretts backup -- and 2014 taught Ohio State coaches how important backups are -- appears to be redshirt freshman Joe Burrow, although freshman Dwayne Haskins, a four-star prospect that Meyer has raved about, could push him.---Follow Mitch Stacy at http://twitter.com/mitchstacy---For some of his other recent stories: http://bigstory.ap.org/content/mitch-stacy Wholesale Pirates Jerseys . Ivanovic was leading 7-5, 1-0 when Hantuchova withdrew after falling 0-40 behind in the second game. The match started slowly for Ivanovic, who surrendered her first two serves as Hantuchova took a 5-3 lead. Cheap Pirates Jerseys . 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Meet Will Mackey, a freshman South Carolina student that loves his Gamecocks.Why are we talking about Mackey? In South Carolinas upset win over the Tennessee Volunteers, Mackey knew, as a fan, he had to join his fellow students in rushing the field for this incredible victory. There was only one problem -- the student section did not rush the field.In Mackeys epic video, we see no fans behind him. However, we do get to see his run-in with backup quarterback?Perry Orth, who is as excited as he is.Naturally, his enthusiastic video went viral. It received over 4,000 retweets and over 8,000 likes on Twitter. According to Campus Rush, Gamecock players Elliott Fry, Deebo Samuel and Terry Googer reached out to Mackey commending him for the video.For them to care this much about some student who made a dumb decision says a lot about the people on our football team, Mackey told Campus Rush. Theyve mmade my life just by saying hey.ddddddddddddBecause of his spontaneous decision, Mackey received a ban for the remainder of home games this season. But, it appears, that was merely a challenge for Mackey. The Missouri game came around, and where was Mackey??In the stadium, outfitted in a mustache and sunglasses, of course.I grew up loving South Carolina and I never thought Id be a big name at South Carolina. This has been beyond my best dream, Mackey told Campus Rush.With one more home game on the schedule against Western Carolina, we have to assume Mackey is scheming up his next disguise. Whether he shaves his head, dyes his hair or comes up with some elaborate plan, we can only hope we get a photo or video half as entertaining as these two.-- Courtney Schellin ' ' '