Devin Brown suffers apparent leg injury during Cotton Bowl, Lincoln Kienholz enters

With Kyle McCord now committed to Syracuse out of the transfer portal, Ohio State turned to Devin Brown at quarterback for Friday’s Cotton Bowl against Missouri. With just over four minutes left in the first quarter, though, he hit the turf and grabbed his ankle after a play.

Brown stayed in the game for a few plays, but eventually started limping toward the sidelines while the Buckeyes lined up for a 4th and 3. Although TreVeyon Henderson was ready for the direct snap, Ryan Day called timeout and eventually kicked the field goal to make it a 3-0 Ohio State lead. While the Buckeyes defense ran back onto the field, Brown got his leg taped up on the sideline.

After Missouri punted, Brown came back onto the field with the Ohio State offense, still clearly limping as the Buckeyes ran a play before the end of the first quarter. He remained on the field for the rest of the series, but eventually headed back to the locker room, according to ESPN’s Tom Luginbill.

Brown didn’t return to the field in time for the ensuing series, meaning Lincoln Kienholz got called upon to take over for his third collegiate appearance. That decision came after Luginbill indicated Ohio State likely wanted to avoid that situation.

“Devin Brown walked into the locker room with medical staff just now, and really hobbling,” Luginbill said during the second quarter. “He’s got a second different shoe on, it’s a high-top. They’ve taped it up, tried to give him more stability, put a brace over that. And then, again, just took him in the locker room. So for Missouri to get that first down right there was big because I do not think Ohio State wants to play with Lincoln Kienholz.”

Brown lost the quarterback competition to McCord early in the year, but still made five appearances as part of some package plays. In that time, he threw for 197 yards and two touchdowns while adding 35 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown on 19 attempts. He sat behind both McCord and CJ Stroud on the depth chart in 2022, but Friday night was an opportunity for Brown to prove himself as Ohio State weighs its options at quarterback.

Kienholz, meanwhile, arrived at Ohio State as a four-star recruit. He came in as the No. 205 overall recruit and No. 15-ranked quarterback from the 2022 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.