What Ohio State Coach Ryan Day Said About Indiana and Coach Tom Allen

Ohio State football coach Ryan Day spoke to media on Tuesday in preparation for Saturday's game against the Indiana Hoosiers and coach Tom Allen. Day announced his plan for the Buckeyes' starting quarterback, and talked about the challenges Indiana's new-look roster has presented for him and his coaching staff.

Indiana and Ohio State begin the 2023 college football season on Saturday, when the Buckeyes travel to Bloomington for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff.

Coach Tom Allen spoke to Indiana media on Monday, and on Tuesday, coach Ryan Day spoke in Columbus and gave updates on the Buckeyes, as well as what he thinks about IU heading into the Week 1 matchup.

Here's everything you need to know from what Day said on Tuesday:

McCord Starting at QB, Brown Will Play

The big drama in Columbus during August has been around two players: quarterbacks Kyle McCord and Devin Brown. 

McCord was long considered the man in waiting behind C.J. Stroud the past two years, but redshirt freshman Devin Brown pushed him through the summer and fall camp for the starting job.

Day previously said that both quarterbacks will play against Indiana on Sept. 2. But on Tuesday, Day told media that McCord will get the starting nod in Bloomington, while also giving meaningful snaps to Brown at some point in the game.

"I think Kyle's consistency the last couple of weeks have allowed him to be the starter," Day said. "But I also think Devin deserves to play in the game as well. How much [will Devin] play and all of that? That's to be determined."

Ohio State coach Ryan Day said that Kyle McCord will be starting at QB against Indiana, but that Devin Brown will play in the game. #IUFB pic.twitter.com/4WDaoYEMOc

— Dan Olinger (@dan_olinger) August 29, 2023

Indiana, of course, has also not yet named its starting quarterback between Tayven Jackson and Brendan Sorsby. For what it's worth, Day said that Jayden Fielding will be the starting place kicker for the Buckeyes. That feels relevant in light of yesterday's headline that emerged when Allen said Indiana will not tell the public who its placekicker is ahead of the week one game. 

Ohio State Prepping for New-Look Indiana

One word has defined Indiana football this offseason — change. 

Out went so many long time starters, either via graduation or transfer portal, and in came 24 new scholarship players. Even though Indiana has been coached by the same man since 2017, the Hoosiers have gone through a massive roster overhaul the last two offseasons.

So many new faces on the opposing roster create a unique challenge for Day and the Ohio State staff in terms of preparation. 

"They have a very different team than they did last year," Day said. "We've been in dog fights with them before, and they're very well-coached. So we have to do a great job adjusting to some of the big changes they've made on both sides of the ball. It's hard [for us] to figure out how [Indiana] is going to look when you have so many new faces."

In describing how the team has gone about its game prep, Day said Ohio State coaches have had to dig up past film, and have tried to draw on key, minute details from that. Once those details are identified, the Buckeyes can layer it over their macro-understanding of what Indiana has been under Allen the past six years, in order to get the best idea of what they'll see on Saturday.

If this sounds complicated, it's because it is. Allen and IU have had to do similar things in preparing for both McCord and Brown. It's part of the reason every coach is so secretive prior to the opening kickoff in Week 1. You never know what competitive advantage there might be when your opponent is uncertain of what to prepare for. 

Day Has 'A Lot of Respect' For Tom Allen

While it's par for the course for coaches to speak glowingly of their adversaries in a presser, it's still notable that Day reiterated multiple times the respect he has for Allen and Indiana. 

"We have to go win this game," Day said. "It's a road game. It's a conference game against a very well-coached team. I've got a lot of respect for Tom Allen and the way he does things, so this is going to be a real test for our team this early on in the season."

Day specifically mentioned the famous 2020 meeting between the teams. In that game, Ohio State raced out to a 35-7 lead in Columbus, only to watch Indiana storm nearly all the way back behind Michael Penix Jr. The Buckeyes escaped with a 42-35 win that day, but IU gave them their toughest challenge prior to their national championship loss against Alabama that season. 

Indiana also played notably tough games against Ohio State in Bloomington in 2015 and 2017. 

Loose Tidbits from Day's Presser

• Carson Hinzman will be the Buckeyes' starting center.
• Day told both McCord and Brown of the plan heading into the game against IU, and said that both, including Brown, agreed it was the right thing to do. 
• Day said all three of his top running backs — TreVeyon Henderson, Miyan Williams and Chip Traynaum — have had great fall camps. Expect to see all of them get carries on Saturday. 

Related Stories on Indiana Football:

• IU DEPTH CHART PROJECTION: Though coach Tom Allen and Indiana have not yet released an official depth chart for the Week 1 game against Ohio State, our Jack Ankony went through the roster and gave a projection for which Hoosiers you'll most likely see on the field this Saturday. CLICK HERE
• FORMER IU O-LINEMAN TRADED TO BEARS: Legendary Indiana offensive lineman Dan Feeney has been traded from the Miami Dolphins to the Chicago Bears for the 2023 NFL season. CLICK HERE
• CAM JONES IN NFL: Former Indiana football linebacker Cam Jones is playing for the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL, and on Saturday, he finished with a team-best seven tackles in a 33-32 win over the Cleveland Browns. Jones signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent this offseason after playing for coach Tom Allen and the Indiana Hoosiers for five years. CLICK HERE