COLUMBUS — As a high school student in Wichita Falls, Texas, J.T. Barrett didn’t know much about Ohio State, and Ohio State certainly didn’t know as much as it wanted to know about him.

Barrett was a Texas Longhorns fan, but an offer never came from Austin. Ohio State desperately needed a quarterback in its 2013 recruiting class, but Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer had never seen Barrett throw. Both sides took leaps of faith.

It seems to be working out all right.

Barrett threw four touchdown passes to four receivers on Saturday afternoon in a 58-0 trouncing of Rutgers at Ohio Stadium, in the process becoming Ohio State’s all-time leader in passing touchdowns. Barrett holds the record by himself one-quarter of the way through his redshirt junior season, having made just 21 starts as a Buckeye.

“Honestly, my redshirt year, 2013, to say I’d be here talking to you about the record I broke for touchdown passes, I might have called you a liar,” Barrett said, smiling.

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Second-ranked Ohio State (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) had no trouble with Rutgers (2-3, 0-2) after the opening series. 

Barrett threw an interception on the Buckeyes’ first series, though Ohio State responded to score on its next nine consecutive possessions, which included eight touchdowns.

Once Ohio State found its bearings, there was little doubt about the end result.

“[Barrett] didn’t like our demeanor before the game, but he came at us, and I feel like that’s what got us off to a pretty good start,” receiver Terry McLaurin said.

“When he challenges us, we listen. The confidence that he brings out there and the way he plays every single down, we have no choice but to match that.”

The Buckeyes’ defense was stellar once again, holding Rutgers to 116 total yards, including a meager 23 yards in the second half. Ohio State’s defense earned its first shutout in a calendar year and did not allow an offensive touchdown for the third time in four games this season.

Rutgers ran 54 plays, only three of which came in Ohio State territory. 

The Scarlet Knights completed three passes in the game, and they did not cross their own 30-yard line in the second half.

Rutgers coach Chris Ash — who was OSU’s defensive coordinator last season — said Ohio State was “a completely different animal” from their game against Iowa last week.

“[Ohio State] smothered us,” Ash said.

Barrett struck first with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Dontre Wilson, hit McLaurin for a 14-yard score, and broke the OSU record with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Baugh in the second quarter to take a 23-0 lead.

With a 5-yard touchdown pass to Curtis Samuel later in the first half, Barrett reached 59 for his career. Barrett passed former 1990s stalwarts Joe Germaine (56) and Bobby Hoying (57) with his effort against Rutgers.

Because Barrett has so much time remaining at OSU, many around the program didn’t know he was so close to the record.

“I was taken aback — I had no idea,” Meyer said. “I think on the radio show, someone said he’s only five [touchdowns] away a couple weeks ago, and I was like, ‘Five away from what?’

“Because it doesn’t seem like he’s been playing that long for us.”

The Buckeyes had a 30-0 lead at halftime, then piled on in the second half.

Mike Weber, Parris Campbell, Demario McCall, and Johnnie Dixon all rushed for touchdowns in the second half. The Buckeyes ran for 410 yards on 53 carries, an average of 7.7.

But the star of the day was Barrett, who finished the game 21 for 29 for 238 yards with four touchdowns and an interception. He needed just more than two seasons to break a record that Hoying set during his senior season in 1995.

Meyer said Barrett is the first and only quarterback that he selected without the benefit of an up-close evaluation, and joked that “I guess I should do that more often.” 

Barrett ended up at OSU only on the recommendation of former offensive coordinator Tom Herman and former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer, but now owns the program’s top passing record.

“Despite everything I’ve been through, it feels surreal,” Barrett said. “That’s crazy that I was just trying to do my best for the team and then broke the record. I’m truly grateful for it.”

Contact Nicholas Piotrowicz at: npiotrowicz@theblade.com, 724-6110, or on Twitter @NickPiotrowicz

First Published October 2, 2016, 4:07 a.m.