Cleveland, OH
History tells Ohio State exactly what should be required of Kyle McCord against Notre Dame
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ryan Day has brought up Ohio State’s loss to Oregon in 2021 on numerous occasions this season when discussing what is needed for this season’s roster to be successful.
More specifically, he discusses the burden placed on C.J. Stroud just two games into his career as a starter and why it’s so important that the same thing doesn’t happen when Kyle McCord faces Notre Dame.
“Coming out of the Oregon game we put too much on C.J.,” Day said during fall camp. “That was too much for him. We should’ve played better defense and run the ball but we didn’t. He threw for over 400 yards, that wasn’t C.J.’s fault. But he’s getting a hard time after the game and on social media.
“That wasn’t C.J.’s fault. That was our fault.”
That 2021 roster had a flawed and inexperienced defense and a run game that struggled all season. Its only real positive was a passing attack that featured three future first-round NFL Draft picks and that showed with how the game played out. The inability to get defensive stops constantly had OSU playing catch-up offensively. The lack of a run game meant having to air things out with Stroud throwing 54 passes. He completed 35 of them for 484 yards and three touchdowns, which should be viewed as more than enough to get a win.
But it wasn’t perfect, especially on the final drive that led to an interception. So instead, Ohio State’s College Football Playoff resume took its first hit.
Recommended Buckeyes stories
- What does Saturday’s game between Ohio State and Notre Dame mean for recruiting?
- Ohio State vs. Notre Dame score predictions: Will Buckeyes’ buildup pay off?
- Ohio State’s most important defensive lineman against Notre Dame has wrecked the Irish before
It’s a position the Buckeyes have been in plenty of times before where a new starting quarterback had an early season road test that provided a chance for the world to get a good look at what he is really made of, even if he is still growing. In those cases, the pieces around the quarterback excelled in a way that didn’t require him to be a savior before he was ready to be.
In 2018 it was Dwayne Haskins going into a neutral site game against TCU inside AT&T Stadium in Texas in Week 3, with OSU walking away with a 40-28 win.
Haskins was 38 of 48 for 344 yards and two touchdowns playing in a more pass-heavy offense, but he wasn’t alone in his outstanding play. J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber combined for 185 yards and the defense — even with losing Nick Bosa to a season-ending injury — contributed to the scoreboard with two defensive touchdowns.
Haskins was quality that night. But he didn’t have to be perfect.
Justin Fields got his first big test in Week 5 of the 2019 season when Ohio State headed to Lincoln, Nebraska, to face a Cornhusker program that some thought was ready to take that next step. That contest had a similar environment to what McCord will walk into Saturday night with College GameDay in town and the game being play in prime time on ABC. But instead of a competitive show, the Buckeyes showed off the first signs of what might have been the nation’s most complete team with a 48-7 win.
Fields had 212 yards and three touchdowns on 15 of 21 passing, adding another 72 yards and a score on the ground. He was quality, but far from the main reason OSU was so dominant.
BET $5, GET $200 BONUS BETS
DRAFTKINGS SPORTSBOOK
BET $50, GET $250 BONUS BETS
CAESARS SPORTSBOOK
BET $5, GET $200 BONUS BETS & $100 OFF NFL SUNDAY TICKET
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK
$1,000 FIRST BET OFFER
BETMGM
BET $1, GET $200 BONUS BETS
BET365
FanDuel Ohio is live and accepting wagers. There are also other OH Sportsbook offers like the bet365 Ohio promo, DraftKings Ohio promo, and the BetMGM Ohio bonus code.
The defense harassed Adrian Martinez into three interceptions, two of which came in the first quarter. Jeff Okudah and Chase Young showed the world why they would go on to be the Nos. 2 and 3 picks in the 2020 NFL Draft, and Dobbins dominated on the ground with 177 yards. Even Master Teague had a quality day as RB2 with 77 yards and two touchdowns.
That is the place Ohio State needs to get back to, and early signs suggest that will happen. The running back room is deep with options with the guy at the top, TreVeyon Henderson, starting to show flashes that the 2021 version of him is back. Defensively the Buckeyes are in Year 2 of Jim Knowles, who drastically improved the overall play last season and has personnel featuring numerous players with meaningful snaps for three seasons.
Plus it helps that even though McCord is in his first year as a full-time starter, he’s been in the program for three years having watched Stroud prepare for these moments the past two seasons.
“This is a group that has played on the big stage,” Day said. “The majority of these guys have done that and they’ve seen it. Even though Kyle hasn’t been on that stage he’s seen it. He knows what it looks like. A lot of the guys coming back from last year’s team, they’ve been here before. That’s good going into it.
“You saw last week what we’re capable of. It’s all there and now it’s just time to go do it.”
McCord needs to take a step forward this week, just as the quarterbacks that have come before him did when they got on the field for their first big game. There will come a moment against Notre Dame where he will have to flash his upside even if he is still weeks away from that being a level he is at consistently. That comes with the territory of playing games of this magnitude in September and is a normal part of a quarterback’s development.
He has to be good while sprinkling in some moments of greatness when they are called for. That was the case with Haskins and Fields in their first big games and they responded while leading the team to wins. But Stroud was not given that benefit. He had to be perfect long before his development suggested he should have to be, and it resulted in an early loss that gave the team had no room for error the rest of the year.
The Buckeyes would rather not live through that scenario again. The expectation for Ohio State quarterbacks is arguably higher than in any other program outside of Lincoln Riley’s at USC. That means McCord must be willing — and capable — of doing anything necessary to beat the Fighting Irish.
That requirement will never change. But the pieces around him need to make sure McCord is among the reasons OSU improves to 4-0.
“He has to go play the game and we have to do whatever to win the game,” Day said. “That’s the bottom line whatever that looks like.”
If you or a loved one has questions and needs to talk to a professional about gambling, call the Ohio Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-589-9966 or the National Council on Program Gambling Helpline (NCPG) at 1-800-522-4700 or visit 1800gambler.net for more information. 21+ and present in Ohio. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.