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Tackling toughest test yet at OSU

Coming off a loss, Barton, Buckeyes need victory over Michigan

By George M. Thomas Beacon Journal sportswriter

Published on Friday, Nov 16, 2007

COLUMBUS: Kirk Barton, Ohio State's starting right tackle, doesn't chat with the media as much as he holds court.

On the Monday afternoon of Michigan week, Barton (Perry High School) did his thing for about an hour, informing and entertaining. He's the one everyone goes to for a quote, but sometimes what gets lost in the translation is the intensity of Barton, a fifth-year senior, who is one of the captains of the OSU offense.

Such was the case after the game Saturday against Illinois. Barton, wearing a recognizable scowl, was willing to shoulder the blame for the loss that halted a potential national champion
ship march.

''I mean, obviously it being Senior Day, you kind of feel like a bit of a failure if you can't get a win on Senior Day,'' he said. ''It takes a little bit away from your captaincy if you can't lead your team the way you need to.''

According to teammate Brian Hartline, there was little need for Barton to feel that way because he has been a good leader.

''As soon as he was a captain, you look back and know why he was doing it,'' Hartline said. ''He has calmed down, he makes great points, he's leading us. It's not all about just talking. He has been playing well, so you can't ask much more than what Kirk has been doing.''

Barton's intensity comes from the seminal moment in his life: the death of his father, Kirk Sr., from cancer when Kirk was 12, said Brigette Barton, a mother who chuckled when asked if her son always has been so focused.

''Yes, always. I know when he first came up here to Ohio after his dad passed away, he said: 'Mom, you won't have to worry, I'll get a scholarship.' He just tried real hard. I didn't think he'd do it,'' she said. ''When you're a parent, you don't know what your children are capable of. You believe them and everything.

''I think it was just because he was so upset and angry about his dad passing. I think it was just good he went and focused on something, and (football) is what he chose.''

After his father died, Barton returned to Northeast Ohio from Florida with his mother and younger sister, Kasey, who attends OSU on an academic scholarship. Perhaps Barton chose football to honor his father, who played at Ohio University.

Bumps along the way

For whatever reason, it has paid dividends because Barton has been entrenched at right tackle since the last seven games of his freshman season in 2004. He gave up the spot only when he suffered a knee injury in 2005.

His OSU career hasn't always gone smoothly, however. He has gotten into trouble with the coaching staff because he's so willing to express his opinion. In one case, a statement about then-OSU quarterback Troy Smith and his playing status led to Barton's being held out of interviews. Last year's incident involving cigars, champagne and the Michigan postgame celebration also got him into a bit of a sticky situation.

He has learned from those mistakes. On Monday, when asked about comments that Michigan's running back Michael Hart made about the Buckeyes, he didn't take the bait.

''I'm not giving them any bulletin-board stuff. I'm too smart for you guys. You're talking to Obi Wan now, not the padawan, the Jedi,'' Barton said.

''You don't need any bulletin-board material, because Lord knows that's the worst thing you could do in a Michigan game, because they'd read it over and over again,'' he said with a laugh. ''I'm not dumb. They have plenty of motivation, I'm not going to spout off and toss stuff on their bulletin board. I'm just trying to be conservative here and not swear.''

Impact of loss

Although he was all quips and smiles Monday, there's little doubt that the loss to Illinois affected him. He took a while to warm up. The smile took a while to return.

Brigette Barton knows the hurt is there.

''I always see him after the game. For the first time, he didn't come up and give me a hug,'' she said of Saturday. ''He just got on the bus and left. I had to call him several times and tell him I'd like to see him before I left for home. He came over to see me, and I could see it on his face. I can read his face.''

Her son put on his brave face Monday. Although it's apparent that many of the Buckeyes had lost a little bit of enthusiasm, Barton was still one of the brightest in the room.

''Those are the very words I use when someone would ask me about my husband because I think he has a lot of personality and his character from my husband,'' she said. ''He was the same type of guy. When you talked to him, you could talk to him for hours. . . . I don't know if he realizes how much he is like him.''

It's all about Michigan

Barton is willing to banter and even revel in it. He knows that his work as a senior on this OSU team isn't done. It's Michigan week. The Buckeyes could be 1-10 at this point of the season, and if they beat the Wolverines, everything would be forgiven.

''It does define the senior class in my mind, because Michigan means everything when you play at Ohio State. I really can't emphasize that enough, because it's hard to go home at Thanksgiving — I've had to do it one time — where you haven't beaten Michigan,'' he said.

It's when he talks about this game that you hear why his teammates elected him a captain. He wants to take it on his shoulders, as he did in defeat against Illinois, to make sure that his teammates remember the importance of this game.

''(I want them) to realize that this is for the rest of your life, because this is the game that really defines guys. You talk about an Eddie George and the '95 game when Tim Biakabutuka outran him,'' he said. '' I was 10 and I still remember that, so people remember these games. Forever. And that's something these guys really need to realize, because what happens on Saturday is going to be monumental the rest of their lives.''

George M. Thomas can be reached at sportswriterabj@sbcglobal.net. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/sportsblitz/.
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COLUMBUS: Kirk Barton, Ohio State's starting right tackle, doesn't chat with the media as much as he holds court.

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