Ryan Day breaks down quarterback play in the Cotton Bowl

The performance of the Ohio State quarterbacks in the Cotton Bowl against Missouri left a lot to be desired. Much was made of the opportunity for Devin Brown after starter Kyle McCord entered the transfer portal, but he failed to take advantage in a 14-3 loss.

Brown finished just 4-of-6 passing for 20 yards and also coughed up a fumble before managing to recover it. He didn’t stay in the game long as true freshman Lincoln Kienholz took over midway through the second quarter.

Kienholz didn’t fare much better as he completed only 6-of-17 (35.3%) of his passes for 86 yards. It was only the third game action for the freshman all season, and Buckeyes coach Ryan Day believes the team could have put him in a better position to succeed.

“I feel like Lincoln got put in a tough spot there, to say the least,” Day said. “I thought he battled his tail off, but clearly we didn’t help him up front. Didn’t run the ball well enough. Freshman quarterback out there for the first time playing and we’re not running the ball well enough up front. It’s hard to get much of an evaluation when you can’t get any balance. I feel like we could have helped him in certain areas and we didn’t.”

Ohio State managed just 203 yards of total offense and failed to score a touchdown while averaging just 2.9 yards per carry. Despite this, the Buckeyes managed to stay in the game thanks to their defense. They shut out Missouri through the first three quarters and held a 3-0 lead heading into the final quarter.

The Tigers scored a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter, however, to take the lead for good. They then punched in another TD on the next drive to add some cushion to their advantage. Ohio State still had an opportunity at a comeback, but Kienholz fumbled the ball at the Missouri 39-yard line as the Tigers recovered and ran the remaining three minutes off the clock.

Now that the season is over, Ohio State can shift its focus to figuring out its quarterback situation for next season. Neither QB showed enough in the bowl game to separate themselves in a potential competition next year, so going to transfer portal could still be an option. The Buckeyes also have incoming four-star Air Noland.

It’s clear there’s still a lot to work out coming off this season. Ohio State lost to rival Michigan for the third straight year and that lone loss kept it out of the College Football Playoff.

We’ll see if either Brown or Kienholz can make progress as the Buckeyes look to bounce back in 2024.