It was a cluster of a season at the QB position. I thought Cardale played very well against Va Tech. I also think the loss of Noah Brown (I think) really hurt the team on offense that left them short at the WR position. All season long they tried to stick a square peg in a round hole with the personal as well as play calling. I think for too long OSU tried too long to make sure Braxton got enough touches instead of making sure he grew as a WR. Had Braxton grown as a WR and not the continual effort to get him the ball in the wildcat and on reverses, this team could have been better off.
The team never played to Cardale's strengths. Even with Barrett at QB they had, what, two good offensive performances? The team never clicked on offense, the play calling, as documented, was stale and predictable. I have watched OSU's run through Wisconsin, Alabama, and Oregon over and over again. What I saw with Cardale was not only the read option, him running the ball, but his ability to make plays. His ability to scramble and make great throws. He made some plays and throws last season that neither he or JT made this season. Maybe it was playing with house money, maybe it was playing with low expectations, or maybe it was him on a roll. Whatever it was, they never were able to harness it this season.