Ohio State QBs Kyle McCord and Tristan Gebbia Up and Down in Spring Game, As Brown Sits

The junior quarterback finished the 2023 Spring Game with 184 passing yards and a touchdown off of a 37-yard connection with Carnell Tate.

Junior quarterback Kyle McCord looked confident and composed for a majority of the Ohio State Buckeyes' 2023 Spring Game on Saturday.

McCord finished the annual scrimmage having completed 18 of his 34 passes in the game for 184 yards and a 37-yard touchdown connection with freshman wide receiver Carnell Tate.

These numbers would not jump off of the box score if this had been a regular-season game. However, there are a number of differences between the Spring Game and a typical contest that shine a more positive light on the quarterback's performance.

In order to prevent unnecessary injury, quarterbacks are deemed "untouchable" for the duration of the game. This means that contact, whether it be a grasp or a playground-style two-hand tap, is recorded as a tackle.

McCord was 'sacked' three times in the game. However, most of these tackles for loss were escapable if he had been playing in a normal game situation rather than by the aforementioned scrimmage rules.

Another change from the usual was the fact that McCord was sharing reps with Oklahoma State transfer Tristan Gebbia at an almost 50/50 divide. Had McCord been the sole quarterback during the game, he would have been able to develop more chemistry with his receivers as the game progressed, resulting in more yards and a higher completion percentage.

Something not affected by the difference in rules between a scrimmage and the regular season is McCord's decision-making.

McCord was solid for a majority of the game in this regard, aside from a handful of plays where the defense got to him early in his progression and forced him to turf a pass or throw it out of bounds.

Without seeing sophomore quarterback Devin Brown (who sat out of the game following finger surgery earlier this week) under the same circumstances, it is hard to tell where the competition for starter between the two sits. 

Whatever the current standings of the race, McCord can rest easy tonight knowing he put up one of the strongest showings he could have in front of Buckeye Nation.

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