Ryan Day: Kyle McCord's 'consistency' earned him starting quarterback job
Ryan Day has made it official. Kyle McCord will be Ohio State’s starting quarterback, he announced during his Tuesday press conference.
McCord got the start in the Buckeyes’ first two games of the season, but split time with Devin Brown as Day and the staff determined the plan. Ultimately, though, he saw enough from McCord to give him the “distinction” of being the starter.
“After reviewing the film, we decided that Kyle’s going to be the starter and make that distinction,” Day said. “We still plan on playing Devin, but we feel like Kyle has really stepped up and deserves to be the starter. So we’re going to go ahead and make that distinction.”
Day said McCord looked solid in the first two games of the year against Indiana and Youngstown State, completing 34 of 53 passes for 497 yards and three touchdowns. That was enough in the staff’s eyes to earn him the title of starter.
“Just the overall consistency that I think he’s been playing with,” Day said. “He made some nice throws, he kept the offense going, he came out of the gates playing efficient football. That’s what we’re going to look for moving forward. But I would just say overall, consistency.”
Ryan Day: Kyle McCord has looked ‘poised’ through two games
The level of competition through two games hasn’t jumped off the page, necessarily. Indiana was picked to finish last in the Big Ten East in the preseason media poll, and Youngstown State plays in the FCS Missouri Valley Football Conference.
But the game against Youngstown took place at The Horseshoe after the offense appeared to struggle against Indiana. Day said playing in the stadium is a big deal no matter who the Buckeyes play, but the fact that McCord handled the spotlight well was another key factor in the decision.
“I think regardless of the opponent, when you play at Ohio Stadium and you get your second start, you have to see how people are going to react,” Day said. “I thought he was much more poised in this game than the first one, I think that’s natural. So again, we’ll see if we can build on that. But like you said, bigger challenges ahead.”
Ohio State has another non-conference tune-up this week when Western Kentucky comes to town. Next week, though, the Buckeyes head to South Bend to take on Notre Dame. That game is a big one for both teams, and is sure to draw plenty of attention.