Cardale Jones' hold on the starting quarterback job at Ohio State looks to be on more solid footing after the Buckeyes' 38-12 win over Western Michigan. The fourth-year junior responded to a benching last week against Northern Illinois with a 19-of-33 performance for 288 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Jones (6-foot-5, 250 pounds) distributed completions to eight different receivers. Still, it was clear that coach Urban Meyer still sees plenty of room for improvement in Jones' play.
Meyer pulled Jones in favor of J.T. Barrett last week in a narrow win over the Huskies after Jones threw a pair of interceptions on only nine pass attempts. Barrett entered Saturday's game late, and was intercepted on one of his three pass attempts. Jones emerged from a highly anticipated battle with Barrett for the starting job in the preseason. Jones decided to return to OSU last January rather than turning pro as a third-year sophomore.
The defending national champions got 124 yards on 16 carries from star running back Ezekiel Elliott, while defensive lineman Adolphus Washington returned an interception for a touchdown. Ohio State (4-0) begins Big Ten play at Indiana next week.
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