Ryan Day commends Kyle McCord after career day vs. Michigan State

Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord was locked in from the start in Saturday’s win against Michigan State. The Buckeyes signal caller helped the offense get rolling from the opening kick, scoring touchdowns on their first three drives in an eventual 38-3 victory.

McCord finished the day with a career-high 335 yards passing to go along with three touchdowns and was extremely efficient in completing 77.4% of his passes. It was the kind of play Ohio State coach Ryan Day hopes he’ll continue to see from the QB as the Buckeyes hit a crucial point in the season.

“We want to be playing our best football down the stretch,” Day told NBC postgame. “We’ve got a lot of football left. A lot of big games ahead. We want to be playing championship football and I think he showed signs of that today.”

Kyle McCord threw all three of his touchdowns in the first half as Ohio State held a commanding 35-3 lead by halftime. He continued to show his strong connection with Marvin Harrison Jr., hitting the receiver for a pair of early TDs. Harrison was once again dominant to finish with seven catches for 149 yards, while also rushing for a 19-yard score.

McCord’s performance was a welcome sight to see for a Buckeyes team that entered the game with some questions about its offense. Although the defense had been dominant in holding opponents to only 10.7 points per game, the offense had simply been adequate but not on the “championship” level that Day mentioned.

Day knows there’s still a lot of work to be done to maintain that level, but believes the Buckeyes flashed what they’re capable of when both sides are clicking Saturday.

“There’s always issues on the film,” he said. “It’s our job as coaches to identify those and it’s the players’ job to see those and that coaching. We’ve gotta keep building on the momentum we have and keep building the confidence. If we get everybody on the field together and the defense is playing complimentary football to the offense, that’s what we’re looking for.”

The Buckeyes improved to 10-0 with the win and now enter the most critical stretch of their season. Ohio State is ranked No. 1 in the College Football Playoff at the moment, but has a matchup against Michigan looming in just two weeks.

Day knows how important that game against the Wolverines is every year, and this year’s game carries even more hype after the Buckeyes have lost two straight. It also could have implications for the Playoff and will determine which team represents the Big Ten East in the conference title game.

“It’s the biggest game of the year every year,” Day said. “That’s not any different. We’re just gonna go back, watch the film next week and we know what’s coming down the tubes. We’ve just gotta keep grinding to get better and our guys gotta continue to stay focused one week at a time. That’s it. It’s all about a climax at the end of the season. Our guys are working towards that and looking forward to that for a long time.”

Prior to the game against Michigan, Ohio State has a matchup against Minnesota schedule for Week 12.