Ryan Day, Ohio State Buckeyes Finding Right Fit for QB Kyle McCord
Ohio State Buckeyes starting quarterback Kyle McCord has improved steadily since he got his first reps at Indiana last month.
The Buckeyes junior got off to a shaky start against the Hoosiers but has looked confident and comfortable in each game since the opening weekend.
During his weekly press conference on Tuesday, coach Ryan Day was asked what he made of McCord's improvement through the first five weeks of the season.
"It's like I was told as a young quarterback: 'Once you come home with an 'A' in algebra, you're expected to get an 'A' in algebra all the time,'" Day said. "Now, you're seeing what Kyle can do, so that's now the expectations are getting mounted up and that's good. That means you've shown you can do it, but okay, now let's continue to do that, and let's improve in these other areas."
In Ohio State's last game at Ohio Stadium three weeks ago, McCord showed Day and Buckeye Nation what an 'A' in algebra looks like. The Mount Laurel, New Jersey native compiled 318 yards and three touchdowns while only missing four of his 23 pass attempts.
McCord was not as numerically impressive in Ohio State's last game against Notre Dame but came up big when the Buckeyes needed him on third and fourth downs. Day said this late-drive success was a sign of the coaching staff finding the right schemes for McCord, as they have done with several of Ohio State's previous quarterbacks.
"I think that's the journey we talk about every year of finding the right balance of things that fit the quarterback and the offensive line, and then it goes from there," Day said. "Kyle's different that C.J. (Stroud), C.J. is different than Justin (Fields), different than Dwayne (Haskins) and J.T. (Barrett). So, we'll try to identify those things, and each game you learn more."
Only time will tell what Day and his coaching staff will learn from Saturday's game, when the Ohio State Buckeyes host the unbeaten Maryland Terrapins at noon on FOX.
