Slow start ails Ohio State football QB Kyle McCord in loss to Michigan

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Kyle McCord looked to Marvin Harrison Jr.

It was when Ohio State opened its third drive at Michigan on Saturday, searching for a spark for an offense.

Harrison ran a quick slant as McCord pulled the ball on an apparent run-pass option and tried to connect with his superstar wide receiver. He had noticed Michael Barrett, a linebacker for the Wolverines, sliding toward the middle of the field, prompting him to fire off the pass.

But Michigan cornerback Will Johnson had jammed Harrison’s route and stepped in front of him for an interception.

“Obviously, the corner made a good play on the ball,” McCord said.

Following the pick, Johnson returned it 18 yards to the Buckeyes’ 7-yard line.

“If I could have that one back, I would want to burn that one into the ground and live to see the next play,” McCord said, “because we put our defense in a tough situation.”

Blake Corum reached the end zone four plays later, and Ohio State was in an early hole in its 30-24 loss at archrival Michigan.

Making his debut in The Game, McCord suffered from another slow start, a trend that has characterized the junior’s first season as the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback.

He completed only four of his first 10 passes, including throwing a costly interception and others that sailed off the mark in the early series.

McCord appeared to settle in during the second quarter. With the Buckeyes facing a second-and-1 at their 36-yard line, he lofted a pass down the seam to tight end Cade Stover to pick up 36 yards.

The deep ball positioned Ohio State in Michigan’s territory for the first time and set up its first touchdown drive with McCord hitting Emeka Egbuka for a 2-yard touchdown, completing all four passes on the drive.

It was a needed response by the Buckeyes who had fallen behind by a score of 14-3 before the series.

“He's going to continue to fight,” Harrison said. “If things are going good or bad, he's always going to continue to fight.”

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McCord would finish 18-of-30 passing for 271 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions.

It was his last throw that also resulted in a pick. Attempting to engineer a game-winning touchdown drive with a minute left, McCord received a snap on a first-and-10 from Michigan’s 37-yard line with 33 seconds.

As he looked downfield for Harrison, he was hit by Jaylen Harrell, an edge rusher who had steamrolled left guard Donovan Jackson to move into the pocket.

The pass was underthrown as a result and grabbed Rod Moore who ran underneath Harrison’s post route over the middle.

“I didn’t get as much on the ball as I wanted to,” McCord said, “and they made a play.”

Moore’s interception sealed the Wolverines’ third straight win over Ohio State. McCord had completed passes of 22 yards to Harrison and 21 yards Julian Fleming to position the Buckeyes in Michigan territory after they took possession at their 19-yard line with a minute remaining and no timeouts left. But there was no repeat of the late-game magic hat had materialized in September when he led a dramatic comeback at Notre Dame.

When Buckeyes coach Ryan Day evaluated McCord’s performance, he pointed to the interceptions as among the factors that contributed to the defeat, along with the limiting rushing yards. Michigan was turnover-free and out-gained them on the ground, 156-107.

“In this game, you got to winning the rushing yards and the turnover battle,” Day said. “We did neither of those things. If that’s not going to happen, we’re not going to win this game.”

The aftermath left McCord in position to confront the stark realities of a rivalry loss that threatened to keep the Buckeyes out of the College Football Playoff, wiping away their aspirations for a national championship.

“We prepare all offseason,” McCord said. “We prepare all year long. And your season comes down to a handful of plays. You either make them or you don’t. That just goes to show you the margin for error in games like this is so slim."

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 Kyle McCord ailed by slow start in Michigan loss