Ohio State stock report: Defense, QB Kyle McCord rising after win over Youngstown State
Where Ohio State is trending after its 35-7 win over Youngstown State on Saturday:
Rising
Defense: In two games, Ohio State has given up just 10 points and 387 total yards. Though this has been a favorable stretch of the schedule and Western Kentucky’s Air Raid should be a more revealing barometer of the leap the Buckeyes have taken on defense in their second season in Jim Knowles’ system, the numbers are among the best nationally. Only one unit in the Football Bowl Subdivision has allowed fewer points and only three have surrendered fewer yards. The 10 points are also the fewest they have allowed through two games since 2007.
Kyle McCord: By passing for 258 yards and three touchdowns, McCord tightened his hold on the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback job. For all practical effect, he’s had the role for the first two weeks with most of the snaps for Devin Brown reserved for mop-up duty. But McCord took a step forward, maintaining consistency from the pocket and connecting on some deep balls, to cement his place at the top of the depth chart.
TreVeyon Henderson: All signs continue to point to a full recovery from foot surgery for Henderson. Though he carried the ball only five times against Youngstown State, he twice ran it into the end zone. The second of them, a 30-yard burst in the third quarter, stood out as he eluded an unblocked defensive end in the backfield to get to the edge and scoot off downfield.
Denzel Burke: With a pick in the third quarter, Burke ended a dubious streak of 19 consecutive games without an interception for Ohio State’s cornerbacks. After his sophomore slump, it’s been an encouraging start. According to Pro Football Focus, Burke has been targeted 10 times in coverage in two games and allowed only two passes to be completed.
Steady
Josh Simmons: Perhaps none of the Buckeyes’ offensive linemen experienced a tougher season debut than Simmons, who was credited by PFF with three of the five pressures they allowed at Indiana. It was notable then that Simmons did not allow any Saturday. But penalties overshadowed a Week 2 leap as he was called for holding and an illegal hands to the face. Simmons was the most heavily flagged offensive tackle in the FBS last season as San Diego State’s starting right tackle.
Chip Trayanum: After Trayanum led the Buckeyes in rushing at Indiana and became one of the surprise storylines of the opening weekend, he was not as flashy against the Penguins, rushing for 20 yards on six carries. Three of them resulted in a gain of a yard or less.
Falling
Third-down efficiency: The Buckeyes continue to have trouble moving the chains. After converting only 2 of 12 third downs at Indiana, they were not much better a week later, going 5 of 12. Through two weeks, they rank 114th nationally in third down conversion percentage at 30.43%. Trouble running in short-yardage situations and missed throws have set them back.
Malik Hartford: Without Josh Proctor available against Youngstown State, Hartford started at free safety and seemed to be in line for an increased role after he logged the most snaps of any backup safety at Indiana. But the freshman largely didn’t play after the opening series. Ja’Had Carter, the Syracuse transfer, took his spot in the “adjustor” role, seeing 47 snaps, the third-most of anyone on defense.
Cameron Martinez: On Youngstown State's opening drive, Martinez rotated in for Sonny Styles as the nickel safety and surrendered a 36-yard completion to wide receiver Max Tomczak, who got him behind him while running a wheel route and led to him splitting the backup reps with cornerback Jordan Hancock. Has Hancock surpassed him as the No. 2 nickel?
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Follow him on Facebook and X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. He can also be contacted at jkaufman@dispatch.com.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football stock report following win over Youngstown State
