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Ohio State’s quarterback play must improve, but the offense had bigger problems at Indiana
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The scenario set up for Ohio State football’s extended quarterback competition to pay off in-game Saturday at Indiana.
Devin Brown came in as promised in relief of starter Kyle McCord. Two handoffs set up a third-and-1. Brown, the bigger run threat of the Buckeyes’ split quarterback identity, took the snap and tucked for a potential first-down conversion.
He had barely moved forward when Indiana defensive end Andre Carter stuffed him and took him down. Carter had crashed across the facemask of OSU left tackle Josh Simmons and plowed into the backfield. Not an unfamiliar site on a sweltering, sticky afternoon resulting in a 23-3 Buckeye victory.
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Ohio State football’s quarterback play must improve. McCord’s best moments reinforced why Ryan Day started him and gave him the lion’s share of snaps. He’ll also cringe when he reviews some missed decisions that could have opened up a game that stayed far too tight for far too long.
A couple of those decisions could have injected this offense, loaded with potentially dynamic stars, with the explosiveness it lacked. Perhaps that will come in time, as it did for C.J. Stroud in 2021. McCord’s first and second half splits somewhat resembled those of the last time the Buckeyes broke in a new starting quarterback — also on the road against a Big Ten Conference opponent.
The blame for Saturday’s general offensive malaise, though, did not fall on McCord. An offensive line that looked shaky coming out of the spring — and which the Buckeyes talked up during their behind-closed-doors preseason camp — lost quite often against an Indiana defensive line loaded with transfers.
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Carter, who posted 13 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks for Western Michigan last season, pushed around Simmons — whose own arrival from San Diego State after the spring had allegedly stabilized this offense.
That battle — though not only that matchup — explained why the Hoosiers so often stymied the Buckeyes in short-yardage situations. Sometimes OSU bounced back to win on fourth down, such as when McCord converted with Gee Scott Jr. during a game-opening touchdown drive. Sometimes it didn’t, such as when McCord was forced to throw across his body on the run and was intercepted in the first half.
Ohio State will not be judged by its ability to find a way to win against Indiana. Road trips to Notre Dame and Wisconsin await. Penn State is bringing a team teeming with talent and potential into Ohio Stadium. Michigan obviously remains in the Big Ten driver’s seat and awaits the Buckeyes’ best shot to take it from them.
So McCord — and/or Brown, depending on Day’s evaluation going forward — must keep developing. Day said earlier this week that the quarterbacks need not be extraordinary, they simply need to manage the plays as designed.
In truth, though, at some point championship quarterbacks must elevate an offense above its baseline. It needs to inject something special by making the best decisions possible more consistently. That is the standard both McCord and Brown are chasing.
McCord showed some signs of progress in the second half.
He led a field goal drive in the final 45 seconds of the first half. Perhaps that hint of momentum is the reason Day stuck with him to start the second half after he completed 10 of 16 for 94 yards in the first half.
Ohio State quarterback and receiver Julian Fleming (4) could not connect on this deep ball attempt in the second quarter.David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com
As OSU crossed midfield, McCord summoned one of his best throws of the day. He whistled a ball to Julian Fleming in traffic, and the senior scooted away for a 27-yard gain. He also underthrew Marvin Harrison Jr. in the end zone later on the drive and was nearly picked off. The Buckeyes settled for a field goal and a 13-3 lead.
On the next series, McCord again showed some vertical touch. He connected with Cade Stover up the seam, continuing the tight end’s day as a favored target. McCord would have had his first touchdown pass on the next play, but Harrison stepped out of bounds early in the route before making the catch.
McCord finished 20 of 33 for 239 yards and the pick, and 98 of those yards went to Stover. He targeted Harrison eight times, but they connected only twice, with Indiana sometimes doubling the unanimous All-American. Emeka Egbuka, the other returning 1,000-yard receiver, managed only three receptions for 16 yards.
Brown finally attempted his first career pass, with under two minutes to play and the game decided. Next week at Youngstown State should provide more opportunity for him to make his own statement in this ongoing analysis.
Attempting to put the game away in the fourth quarter, McCord showed some freelancing ability. Rolling out right, when the primary route did not develop, McCord could have been caught in no-man’s land. But he lunged away from a defender and reloaded quickly to find Chip Trayanum underneath.
A little bit loose, but effective in the end. Sometimes the situation calls for that. How McCord refines those moments may determine whether he can lift this offense against better opponents when things go sideways again.
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