Urban Meyer on need to pick full-time QB: 'Might be some truth to that'

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- There is still no clear-cut winner in the ongoing race to claim the starting quarterback position at Ohio State, but Urban Meyer might be ready to settle on one guy.

The Buckeyes coach just doesn't know exactly who it will be.

For the second consecutive game, Cardale Jones started the game for top-ranked Ohio State on Saturday only to be removed in favor of J.T. Barrett in the second quarter.

And again, neither quarterback did all that much to solidify a claim to the job on a permanent basis moving forward in a 20-13 win over Northern Illinois that was noticeably lacking an offensive spark for the normally high-scoring Buckeyes.

But now, three weeks into the season and with continued questions about his handling of his two award-winning passers heating up, Meyer indicated it might be time to pick one and stick with him.

"There might be some truth to that," Meyer said after the game. "Not that I'm going to call some armchair [analysts] and ask them what they think, but I do believe in game reps. That's how players get better, and that's something that I'm going to spend a lot of time thinking about."

Barrett took all the snaps in the second half after taking over for Jones following his second interception of the game. That was a change in approach from last week, when Jones was plugged back into the lineup after his early struggles to lead a blowout win over Hawaii after halftime.

After Saturday's win, the biography on Jones' official Twitter account read "3rd String QB @ The Ohio State University Oh Wait, 2nd String." He later erased that, writing: "it's changed, HAPPY!"

Meyer, meanwhile, didn't give an edge to either QB option in the immediate aftermath of Saturday's low-scoring victory, instead electing to review the film that will show some bad decisions, errant passes and at least one interception for each.

"Good question," Meyer said when asked if he knew who his starter would be next week against Western Michigan. "I don't know that right now. I haven't had time to think about it."

There are now three full games to review, but Ohio State still doesn't have a definitive answer to its most pressing question.