Ohio State still hasn't settled on a clear-cut starting quarterback. Kyle McCord and Devin Brown are both expected to see action for the second consecutive week as the Buckeyes face off with Youngstown State on Saturday, coach Ryan Day announced on Tuesday. Day settled on the two-quarterback model for Ohio State's opener against Indiana in Week 1, and the belief was that the signal-callers would get equal time to state their case in the high-profile battle to succeed C.J. Stroud. The time on the field was far from equal, however.
McCord received a majority of the snaps in the 23-3 win over the Hoosiers, finishing 20-of-33 passing with 239 yards and an interception. Brown, meanwhile, played just six total snaps in the game over two possessions -- both resulting in three-and-outs.
"I'm trying not to draw too many hard lines when it comes to this right now," Day said on Tuesday. "Our goal is to be a really good quarterback room and win games, and as these first few games start to develop, we get a better feel for what that looks like. Learned some things about Kyle on Saturday; saw some things that were really good. Saw some things that he's got to improve on. Again, disappointed that we couldn't get more on the field with Devin, but hopefully this week we can and continue to evaluate it."
Ohio State is a heavy favorite in the home opener against Youngstown State, so the game playing out in the manner oddsmakers suggest should provide the opportunity for Brown to see more action than he did in Week 1. A point of emphasis for both quarterbacks will be to get the ball to star receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka. Last week, the normally dynamic pass-catching duo combined for just five catches and 34 yards.
"I do not have a crystal ball, I don't know it's gonna look like," Day said. "I wish I did, I know everybody wants to know what it's going to look like. We'll just keep grinding on this thing and keep trying to find wins because we know it's a long season. Ultimately, we have to find what's best for our team. We felt like we had to go get a win on Saturday. I wish it was cleaner across the board, It wasn't, but we got the win. Now we identified the things we have to get better at and see what it looks like this week."
