The Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett was arrested on Saturday morning near the campus for operating a vehicle while intoxicated, according to Eric Seger of Eleven Warriors

The 20-year-old failed the breathalyzer test and was arrested. Barrett was released to Cardale Jones, who is the other quarterback on the Buckeyes (8-0) team. He registered just over the state of Ohio's legal limit of a 0.08 blood-alcohol concentration on Saturday morning.

Ohio State officially confirmed the arrest. Head coach Urban Meyer has suspended his starting quarterback for the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers next Saturday. 

The full statement:

Ohio State University student-athlete J.T. Barrett was cited by Columbus police Saturday morning at a campus area check point with a misdemeanor offense of OVI. Barrett has been suspended by head coach Urban Meyer from playing in Ohio State’s game against Minnesota on Nov. 7.

Jones started the first seven games until Barrett took over last week and led Ohio State to a 49-7 win over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. The backup quarterback will resume the starting role because of the arrest. 

The Buckeyes have touchdown percentage of 46 percent with Barrett as quarterback, but 22 percent with Jones behind center.

Jones, a junior, has thrown for 1,266 yards on the season with seven touchdowns and five interceptions on 96-for-152 passing, which is good for 63.2 percent. He has added 51 carries for 128 yards and a touchdown. 

Barrett was the starter back in 2014, but he made an early exit after breaking his ankle against the Michigan Wolverines, the rival of Ohio State. 

The sophomore has thrown for 472 yards and scored seven touchdowns, while tossing just two interceptions on 66.1 percent passing. Barrett has also chipped in 42 rushing attempts for 329 yards and seven scores. 

Under the Ohio State Department of Athletics' student-athlete drug and alcohol program, Barrett could miss two weeks with a suspension because he is under the game of 21. However, an OVI does not register as DUI, which means that it will be up to Meyer and the program to decide the fate of Barrett after the game against Minnesota, which he is already suspended.

Gene Smith, the athletic director for Ohio State, told ESPN that since the arrest is a misdemeanor, he is not subject to the mandatory two-week suspension. While he is suspended against Minnesota, Barrett might not see any further punishment. 

Last season, Barrett broke the Big Ten record with 45 total touchdowns and was fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting. 

Ohio State will play their last two games of the season against the Michigan State Spartans at home and then Michigan will play host to Ohio State to wrap up the regular season. 

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Evan Petzold
Evan Petzold is a Detroit-based journalist with expertise in covering the Tigers, Pistons, and Red Wings. A member of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) and Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association (DBSA), he brings a unique skill set in reporting and broadcasting to the table.