Elite Ohio State Skill Players Can Help Hide Inexperience At QB
Last Saturday, the Ohio State Buckeyes sealed a 35-7 win over Youngstown State, improving the Buckeyes' record to 2-0. Perhaps more importantly though, OSU Head Coach Ryan Day has publicly announced his decision to name junior Kyle McCord as the team's starting quarterback for the season.
That declaration comes on the heels of a quarterback competition between McCord and sophomore Devin Brown which lasted until this Tuesday's conference leading up to Week 3's clash with Western Kentucky.
McCord looked like the favorite throughout but solidified his spot as the starter with a 258-yard, three-touchdown performance against the Penguins. Day cited McCord's consistency in making his decision, saying he needed his starting quarterback "to make the routine plays routinely".
That more than anything will be the Buckeyes' key to success this season, McCord's ability to consistently get the ball to Ohio State's playmakers like stand-out receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka.
Harrison Jr. and Egbuka are largely considered the top two receivers in the upcoming 2024 draft class, which puts McCord in a very enviable position. As if that weren't enough, the Buckeyes have even more weapons in the arsenal.
Another target that McCord will likely lean on is redshirt senior Cade Stover. A veteran tight end can often be an inexperienced quarterback's best friend, and while Stover didn't record a catch in Week 2, he did haul in five receptions for 98 yards in the season opener.
On the ground, veteran running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Chip Trayanum both look capable of shouldering the rushing load behind a respectable offensive line.
Despite this very talented roster, Ohio State only managed to put up 58 points across their first two games against Indiana and Youngstown State, a total they almost matched in a single game during last year's 56-14 victory over those same Indiana Hoosiers.
Buckeyes fans shouldn't be too worried, as there are always some growing pains with a new quarterback, especially when snaps are being divided between two of them. The most important thing to take away here is that Day chose somebody. This decision by Day should bring some much-needed continuity to the offense and lift McCord's confidence to an all-time high.
The truth is, a great receiving corps can make a good or even above-average quarterback into a great one on game day.
And with the amount of weapons McCord does have at his disposal, that should be good enough to get the Buckeyes to Southbend in Week 4 unscathed.
