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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Nothing has changed at quarterback for top-ranked Ohio State after last Saturday's 38-0 win over Hawaii. Cardale Jones remains the starter over J.T. Barrett, coach Urban Meyer announced Monday. Neither played particularly well in the shutout win that saw the defense upstage the offense in the Buckeyes' 15th consecutive victory.
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"Both of them will continue to get reps," Meyer said. "The approach I've taken is Cardale started, he's the starting quarterback.
"I met with him yesterday. J.T. has not beat him out yet. He's going to continue to have opportunities to do that because J.T. is a very good player and Cardale's got to perform."
Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but Meyer is sticking with the status quo for now despite the Buckeyes' failure to pass for a touchdown for the first time in 25 games.
Jones finished 12-of-18 for 111 yards and Barrett, who entered the game in the second quarter, was 8-of-15 for 70 yards against Hawaii. The offense played sluggishly, which in part could be a result of the quick turnaround after a Monday night game at Virginia Tech.
"Neither (quarterback) played that well Saturday, but a lot of it was extenuating circumstances about protection," Meyer said. "We just weren't ... we didn't play very well."
Jones will be starting his sixth consecutive game on Saturday against Northern Illinois (2-0) in Ohio Stadium (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2/ABC). Last week was his first start at home after he led the Buckeyes to the College Football Playoff national championship last season and an opening win this year.
This week, Jones and the Buckeyes (2-0) face the defending Mid-American Conference champions, who have a decent quarterback of their own. Junior Drew Hare has passed for an average of 374.5 yards in two games and Northern Illinois ranks fifth in the country in passing efficiency at 201.1.
"They're a very good team," Meyer said. "Offensively, their quarterback is setting all kinds of records. Our players will respect them. I don't anticipate a problem with that because they're good. They've beaten Northwestern, Purdue, Iowa and Minnesota -- and I wouldn't call those upsets."
Buckeyes linebacker Derron Lee is prepared to tackle the challenge this week. Northern Illinois comes into the game No. 1 in the country in red-zone offense after wins over UNLV and Murray State.
"They're a veteran squad. They have a really nice O-Line that does a great job of protecting their quarterback," said Lee, who had two sacks and a forced fumble against Hawaii. "The quarterback is an experienced guy who can run and sling it. There are a lot of juniors and seniors on the team, so we have to be on our game. We know we're going to get their best shot."
NOTES, QUOTES
PLAYERS TO WATCH
--QB Cardale Jones will make his third start of the season on Saturday against Northern Illinois and will be looking to improve on last week's performance against Hawaii. The redshirt junior completed 12-of-18 passes for 111 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and rushed six times for 20 yards with two sacks. Jones continues to hold off J.T. Barrett for the starting job, but the two will continue to both see playing time.
--RB Ezekiel Elliott supplied much of the offense for Ohio State in its 38-0 win over Hawaii last Saturday. The junior rushed for 101 yards on 27 carries and scored three of the Buckeyes' five touchdowns. Elliott has rushed for 100 or more yards in seven straight games.
--H-back Curtis Samuel returned from a one-game suspension and contributed a team-best seven receptions for 53 yards and rushed one time for nine yards against Hawaii last week. Samuel graded out as one of the team's top players on offense in that game. The sophomore also returned one kickoff for 25 yards.
--SS Vonn Bell is playing at a high level, coach Urban Meyer said after the junior returned a fumble 14 yards for a touchdown in last Saturday's win over Hawaii. Bell also had an interception and three pass breakups. His four pass breakups in two games lead the Big Ten.
SERIES HISTORY: Ohio State leads Northern Illinois, 1-0. The Buckeyes were also ranked No. 1 in 2006 when they opened the season with a 35-12 win over the Huskies in their only other meeting.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "We were flat. I'm not going to name names, but some of us weren't as ready to play as we should have been. I have all the confidence in the world we will be better in the future." -- OT Taylor Decker on the Ohio State offense's performance against Hawaii.
