Reporters roundtable: Did Kyle McCord settle Ohio State's starting QB competition?
Editor's note: After each Ohio State football game, beat reporters Joey Kaufman and Bill Rabinowitz discuss the lasting storylines and other key developments.
A top-10 road matchup with Notre Dame is just over the horizon.
Ohio State has one more nonconference game left on its schedule before making its highly anticipated trip to South Bend.
The looming test adds to the stakes of a quarterback competition between Kyle McCord and Devin Brown that has continued into the season.
When Buckeyes coach Ryan Day was asked following last Saturday’s 35-7 win over Youngstown State if he might settle on a starter this week in order to give them all of the snaps to better prepare for the test against the Irish, he acknowledged the possibility.
“That’s worth considering, yeah,” Day said. “That’s something we got to talk about as a staff.”
Kaufman: The issue is whether McCord has done well enough through two weeks to be made the starter full-time. Day’s already tipped his hand in this high-profile position battle, giving McCord both starts and the heavy majority of the snaps, and McCord responded against the Penguins, throwing for 258 yards and three touchdowns and facilitating three out of the five scoring drives. Was that enough to call the race?
Rabinowitz: I think so. I believe the only thing holding back Day from announcing it Saturday was that he wanted to review game tape and confer with assistant coaches to make sure everyone agreed. But all signs point to McCord being the quarterback. He’s earned it. It makes sense to let him settle in as the quarterback against Western Kentucky, which is a team the Buckeyes really shouldn’t overlook.
Kaufman: It was also revealing to see Brown in extended snaps. Consistency was one reason Day started McCord the first two weeks. It’s looked like a bit of an issue for Brown, the younger of the two passers who ebbed and flowed against the Penguins. On his first series behind center, Brown made plays with his arm and legs, but also missed easy ones, perhaps why Day described him as "a little anxious early on." Brown twice threw a ball behind Emeka Egbuka as he ran a drag route over the middle. There are times when Ohio State just needs a facilitator in the pocket.
Rabinowitz: As Day has said repeatedly, he needs a quarterback who can make the routine play routinely. With the skill-position players OSU has, the quarterback doesn't have to make spectacular plays most of the time. That kind of description makes people think that all he wants is a game manager, which isn't true, and McCord has shown he can make the tough throws as well. He made a few of those against Youngstown State.
Kaufman: And those tougher throws were on deep balls. McCord completed only one pass that traveled at least 20 yards down the field at Indiana. He had three against Youngstown State, the most impressive one being on his second touchdown pass to Marvin Harrison Jr. when he lofted his pass over two defensive backs to fall into the hands of his superstar wideout in the end zone for a 39-yard score. Those are some early signs that McCord can stretch the field.
Rabinowitz: I think we agree it's just a matter of time before Day announces that McCord has won the job. But the quarterback battle was only one of the big issues OSU faced entering the season. The other was the offensive line, and that remains a concern. Linemen committed three costly penalties against Youngstown State, which followed a shaky performance against Indiana. Offensive lines usually take time to become cohesive, and the Buckeyes had to replace three starters who are now in the NFL. But even Day said his patience is running out. He said in his postgame press conference that he wanted the issues fixed "yesterday."
Kaufman: The penalties overshadowed things, because outside of those issues, the line looked all right, even if Day didn’t seem immediately pleased. The pass protection, in particular, seems as if it’s being shored up. After McCord and Brown were pressured on 21.6% of their dropbacks at Indiana, that rate was down to 15.8% against Youngstown State, according to Pro Football Focus. But short-yardage situations are another story. Here’s another number to know: The Buckeyes' power rushing rate is 12.5% through two weeks. In other words, on rushes with 2 yards or less needed to pick up a first down, they are one of eight.
Rabinowitz: A pressure rate of 15.8% against Youngstown State is not great, either. The good news is that Ohio State got Marvin Harrison Jr. involved the way he should be after a quiet week at IU. TreVeyon Henderson ran quite well, though he only had seven official touches. The defense gave up only one touchdown and then didn't allow YSU to get closer than the OSU 32 the rest of the game. But this week, the defense, especially the secondary, will be tested by Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers like to fling it.
Kaufman: They do, indeed. Among teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision, only Mississippi State, as led by the late Mike Leach, threw more passes than Western Kentucky did last season. With quarterback Austin Reed still in the fold, this should be an interesting stress test for the Buckeyes’ defense.
Rabinowitz: Ohio State is a 27-point favorite, which is a lower point spread than against Indiana or Youngstown State. Because WKU likes to throw and play at a fast tempo, the game should at least be more entertaining than OSU's first two games, which, let's face it, were snoozers.
Get more Ohio State football news by listening to our podcasts
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Has Kyle McCord made his case as Ohio State's full-time starting QB?
