Plenty of time to throw but, apparently, no one was ever open save KJ Hill and Samuel once across the middle. Not so great in the run blocking, though, at least not to the level we are used to seeing.
It's everything.
The receivers do not separate well.
The scheme is very mediocre and almost never puts the opposition in a bind defensively. Unlike the running game which frequently outflanks the opposition and puts them in situations to fail, the passing game is way too easy to handle unless there are monsters on the outside.
The routes have been largely mediocre from the OSU recruited WRs. Thomas transformed the passing game with his devastating routes and could get deep by his effectiveness on comeback and intermediate routes, which set up some nasty double moves (VT's manhood is still missing). If they held a foot race, Thomas would get destroyed by almost every 2016 WR that is playing. Then if they ran a pro day workout for scouts, he'd embarrass every one of them with his precision and separation.
Barrett is getting a little more confident and looking to his second and third read, but he still waits so long to let it fly that the defense often has time to close. He does not throw guys open and certainly does not have the chemistry or accuracy to throw before his wideouts break off their routes. JT and his WRs are frequently on different pages.
Barrett has a very average arm that does not allow him to get away with late throws and often leads to dangerous throws (less of these recently compared to earlier this year).
The pass protection is not reliable, so a run-first QB is not often comfortable standing in and delivering (though he's become
much better here).
JT is also a really good running QB. He's not as explosive as Braxton or Pryor, but he's so smart about his movements (whereas Braxton was ultra slippery but not very wise in his scrambles). Other than the techmo bowl jailbreaks against PSU, he has a great knack for ugly yardage. Frequently when he is sacked, he only loses 0.5-2.5 yds. When there's nothing there on the option, he has the vision, strength and body control to get upfield and avoid a loss when there's nothing there, sometimes sneaking a 3-6 gain out of a 3 yd loss situation.
That crafty, wise scrambling also comes at the expense of late developing plays as he looks to survive for the next play. Some of that is what you have to live with from a running QB.