Senior running back Miyan Williams (3) takes a handoff from junior quarterback Kyle McCord (6) during Saturday’s Spring Game at Ohio Stadium. Team Gray defeated Team Scarlet 40-31. Credit: Caleb Blake | For The Lantern
Junior quarterback Kyle McCord looked to showcase his positioning in Ohio State’s quarterback competition for the 2023-24 football season Saturday afternoon.
However, many Buckeye fans left the spring game at the Ohio Stadium with more questions unanswered than expected.
McCord finished the game with 184 passing yards while completing 18-of-34 passes, as the Ohio State scarlet team, featuring the offense, fell 40-31 against the Ohio State gray team made up of the defense.
Neither McCord nor fellow contender sophomore quarterback Devin Brown, who was unavailable Saturday after having a procedure on his throwing hand, have been named the starting quarterback, and McCord said he thinks it will motivate them entering the next chapter of the offseason.
“I think it’s going to push both of us going into fall camp, and there’s still a lot of time until the season,” McCord said. “So, I think just keeping each other hungry, and I think he’d say the same thing. So, I think that’s definitely the wisest thing to do.”
Brown said it was difficult watching from the sideline after suffering his hand injury late in spring practice.
Brown said his injury is “nothing crazy,” and he expects to return in about four weeks.
“It’s definitely hard knowing I could have been playing out there,” Brown said. “We were working for it all spring, but at the end of the day, I was just happy to be able to cheer on my guys and do what I could.”
A packed crowd filled the stadium, as the Buckeye faithful looked to see a similar spring game reminiscent of last year’s in which the scarlet tumbled over the gray 34-26, after leading most of the game with a double-digit lead.
This time the tables were turned, with the gray team coming out on top.
Mccord, a Mount Laurel, New Jersey, native, traded offensive snaps with graduate quarterback Tristan Gebbia, but neither player could seem to uplift the offense who were without several players — including wide receivers junior Emeka Egbuka, senior Julian Fleming and graduate Xavier Johnson.
McCord said he believes the spring game went well and thinks it’s a time for the Buckeyes to see what fits, both offensively and defensively.
“Today is a little bit of a learning period,” McCord said. “But at the same time you want to build that chemistry with the guys, and I think going with the one’s and two’s in the spring is good that way I’m building chemistry with six, seven, eight receivers, four tight ends.”
After a three-and-out on his first drive, McCord looked to get the offense going. And none other than his high school teammate junior wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. would be his No. 1 target down the field.
McCord connected on his first pass of the game with a 15-yard completion to Harrison. The two connected again on the following play as Harrison separated from a defender with a slant route in one-on-one coverage.
The drive would fall short at the 22-yard line, but the McCord and Harrison connection could loom in head coach Ryan Day’s final decision.
Gebbia would lead the scarlet offense to put its first points on the scoreboard after moving the team downfield for a field goal with a minute remaining in the first. It was a sigh of relief for the Buckeye faithful who were still patiently waiting for the offense to make a breakthrough play.
McCord again looked to run a promising drive with five minutes remaining in the second after a sideline throw to sophomore wide receiver Kaleb Brown. The offense was in striking distance to cut the lead, but McCord failed on a touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver Carnell Tate.
The Buckeyes first touchdown came after senior running back Chip Trayanum exploded for a 63-yard gain with a 1:39 remaining before halftime.
McCord and Tate would later connect for McCord’s first touchdown of the day with nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
Day had high praise for McCord’s arm and his adaptability to make tough throws in different defensive schemes. It’s an area that Day said McCord has improved in throughout his time at Ohio State.
“We’ve seen him do that, where he can make all those throws and he can handle play action,” Day said. “He can handle RPO. He can handle a drop-back pass. He can make the field throws, so he definitely has the skill set.”
McCord would settle into the game for the remaining two quarters, in which he threw for 70 more yards with a long of 37 to Tate.
Whether the thought of leaving Ohio State has creeped into his head during the quarterback competition, McCord said he made a promise to himself to compete and be confident within his game.
“You’re at a place like Ohio State, you know they’re going to bring in the best quarterbacks,” McCord said. “You know they’re going to bring in really good competition. So, you have to earn it every single day.”
