Ryan Day 'Considering' Naming Full-Time Starting QB Before Notre Dame

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Kyle McCord certainly made a compelling case towards being named the full-time starting quarterback.

So Week 2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes' in-game quarterback tryout has come and gone, and it was overwhelmingly clear that Kyle McCord has the edge.

McCord connected with his high school teammate at St. Joseph's Prep, wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., for two touchdowns in the first quarter, which helped aid his 14-for-20 day with 258 yards and three scores in Ohio State's 35-7 win against the Youngstown State Penguins.

With a daunting road test against Notre Dame looming, Day said he's "not ready" to commit to a full-time starting quarterback, but that doesn't mean naming the starter before the week before the Buckeyes face the Fighting Irish hasn't crossed at least his mind.

"That's worth considering," Day said when asked about the possibility of naming a full-time QB1 before the Western Kentucky game. "That's something that we have to talk about as a staff."

Like last week against the Indiana Hoosiers, McCord got into a rhythm from the kickoff. He started 9-of-11 last week and 7-for-8 this week. The two differences between weeks 1 and 2: McCord didn't have a cold spell after the hot start and had explosive, down-the-field throws.

Against the Hoosiers, McCord had 70 yards on his first nine completions. He surpassed that on his second throw alone Saturday versus Youngstown State, connecting with Harrison on a 71-yard touchdown pass on the opening drive.

When asked if he thought he did enough to earn the starting job, McCord deferred to it being the coaches' decision.

"The only thing I'm worried about when I'm on the field is making the most of my opportunities," McCord said. "If that's every single drive, then that's great. If that's every other drive, that's great. If it's one drive, it's great. Whatever opportunities I get, that's what I'm going to try to make the most out of."

Quarterback Devin Brown settled in after a 2-for-7 start, completing five of his last six passes on the day. The Gilbert, Arizona, native finished the game 7-for-13 with 101 yards.

On fourth-and-7, Brown connected with tight end Gee Scott Jr. on a 9-yard completion to move the chains, sliding up in the pocket and delivering a strike over the middle of the field.

He connected with freshman wide receiver Carnell Tate on a 20-yard completion, while his next throw one drive later to Miyan Williams went for 27 yards. On his connection to Williams, he showed great touch, lofting a pass that dropped in the bucket to convert a third-and-4.

"Devin, early on, was a little anxious," Day said. "I think for him, once gets hit and gets a little tired, he calms down a little bit. You could see the talent there."

Brown's confidence in himself has not wavered from the time the quarterback battle started in the spring, and he still believes he's in this race.

"That's never going to change for me. I'm always going to think I'm the guy," Brown said. "We just got to do what's best for the team and that's what we're doing. When our number's called, we got to go out there and help this team win."

Day has said the Buckeyes are confident with both McCord and Brown leading the team. While that may be true, Day will need to pick a solidified QB1 here soon, and McCord made a compelling case Saturday.