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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-stacyAir Max 270 Cheap Online . With the short-handed Warriors needing help from someone -- anyone -- to stop a three-game skid, ONeal returned from right knee and groin injuries that had sidelined him for four games and put up season highs with 18 points and eight rebounds. It was just enough to help lift Golden State to a 102-101 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. Wholesale Air Max 270 Australia . Despite dominating possession, Schalke needed an own goal from Nicolas Hoefler for the breakthrough a minute before the interval. The Freiburg midfielder misjudged Jefferson Farfans corner and bundled the ball into his own net. http://www.cheapaustraliaairmax270.com/ . Neymar curled home a free kick from just outside the area to put the 2014 World Cup host ahead in the 44th minute. Three minutes after the break, a simple through pass from Paulinho freed Oscar and the Chelsea star rounded goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong to extend Brazils lead. Nike Air Max 270 Wholesale . -- Edmontons Val Sweeting is two wins away from a trip to Winnipeg to play in Canadas Road of the Rings in December. Cheap Air Max 270 Australia . John Tavares, Thomas Vanek and Kyle Okposo were also being counted on to slow down sizzling Rangers forward Rick Nash. That plan didnt go so well early.Russias ban from world athletics has been extended, with the IAAF needing more time to investigate their progress in improving their anti-doping record.Rune Andersen, president of the task force looking into Russian reforms after Novembers suspension, said significant progress had been made but not enough to justify lifting the sanctions.The view of the task force is that there is significant work still to be done to satisfy the reinstatement conditions, Andersen said. We still need to interview athletes and coaches named in the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) commission report to understand the scope and nature of previous doping activities.IAAF president Sebastian Coe said a final decision on Russias reinstatement might not be made until May, only three months before the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.Coe said: While progress has been made, the council unanimously agreed that the Russian authorities need to undertake further significant work to satisfy the reinstatement condition, (so) RUSAF (the Russian Athletic Federation) should not be reinstated to the IAAF at this stage.My job is not to get as many athletes to the Olympic Games as possible. The job of the council is to make sure those athletes who are going to the Games aree clean under systems based on integrity.ddddddddddddThere were no pre-ordained outcomes today. We were satisfied, unanimously, that more work needed to be done, although some progress has been made, before we can be asked to make the decision.The Rio athletics programme begins on August 12, but a May reinstatement could make it tough for Russian athletes to record Olympic qualifying times. IAAF president Sebastian Coe said Russia needs to show more while identifying five other countries needing critical care Russia were banned in November following a report by an independent WADA commission that found evidence of state-sponsored doping and large-scale corruption in Russian athletics.Further to the Russia update, the IAAF also identified five other countries in critical care regarding their drug-testing systems, although none has yet been handed any sanction.Ethiopia and Morocco - as a matter of urgency - need a robust testing programme put in place, Coe added. Kenya, Ukraine and Belarus need to get compliant by the end of the year. ' ' '