Ohio State head coach Ryan Day is maintaining his commitment to the two-quarterback system as the Buckeyes prepare to face Youngstown State this Saturday.
Kyle McCord will once again start, but Devin Brown will also see playing time in an effort to solidify the quarterback situation.
After a closely-watched preseason competition, neither quarterback emerged as the clear-cut starter. McCord was given the nod in Ohio State’s recent matchup against Indiana, where he threw for 239 yards on 20 of 33 passing with no touchdowns and one interception.
Meanwhile, Brown made a brief appearance, throwing just three passes and completing one for a loss of 2 yards.
“I’m trying not to draw too many hard lines when it comes to this right now,” Day stated. “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.”
Day cited the limited opportunities as a reason for Brown’s minimal snaps, with only 11 drives available during the game. He emphasized the importance of getting more game reps for Brown to assess the quarterbacks’ abilities in real-time, allowing for a better evaluation of who can lead the offense effectively.
Kyle McCord will be Ohio State’s starting quarterback again vs. Youngstown State, but Ryan Day said the plan is for Devin Brown to play more this week than he did against Indiana. https://t.co/rb5jnq4BVv pic.twitter.com/FvaAPnxLdQ
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) September 6, 2023
“I would have liked to get Devin in the game, but like I mentioned after the game, I wanted to do what was best to win the game. At the time, that was the first goal,” Day explained. “I felt like that was the right thing to do. A little bit was gut, honestly. I can’t sit here and tell you the analytics and the right way to do that, but this week we’d like to get Devin in more.”
Day also admitted that he is still working on finding the best approach for allowing one quarterback to establish their rhythm during a game. He acknowledged that the overall offensive execution fell short of expectations and acknowledged the role of quarterback play in that.
While Day expressed the desire to declare a clear-cut starter, he acknowledged that Brown has played well enough to earn playing time. Until one quarterback distinguishes themselves, the coaching staff will continue with the dual-quarterback system, allowing them to compete on the field.
“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.”
Who do you think will end up winning the permanent starting job – McCord or White?
Are you concerned about the lack of targets for Marvin Harrison Jr.?
Are the Buckeyes a legitimate national championship contender this season?