Buckeyes QB Kyle McCord Gets Set To Battle Veteran Notre Dame Defense
It's a safe bet that Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord's confidence is high right now after winning the team's quarterback battle and dominating Western Kentucky in Week 3.
This Saturday, though, it may be out of the frying pan and into the fire for the junior, as he'll face one of the more veteran defenses in college football against Notre Dame. Not only have the Fighting Irish allowed just under 12 points per game, they come in at fourth in total defense.
To be fair, the Buckeyes are currently at third for total defense and are allowing only 6.5 points per game, but they too will be facing a more difficult challenge in sixth-year Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman.
It's safe to say that both the OSU offense and defense will have their hands full in this one. It seems that the weight rests a bit more heavily on McCord's shoulder, as the signal caller is admittedly less proven than this Buckeye defense.
As for the Notre Dame defense, they tote ten seniors or older on the starting eleven, with the lone youngster being sophomore cornerback Benjamin Morrison, who was a Freshman All-American last season.
Morrison may actually be their best player on that side of the ball, but the rest of these grizzled vets, like his fellow cornerback fifth-year senior Cam Hart, are going to make an impact in this game as well. It will be essential for the Buckeye offensive line to give McCord time to get through his reads against these talented defensive backs.
With so much experience on the Fighting Irish defense and a defensive coordinator on his second year with the program in Al Golden, it's imperative for McCord to focus on making the smart play as opposed to the big one. With weapons like Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka running routes, it can be tempting to start flinging the pigskin all over the field. And of course, when those shots are open you take them, but McCord has to avoid trying to force the ball down field when they aren't.
In Week 3's 63-10 win over Western Kentucky, the junior field general was a sniper, completing just under 83-percent of his passes. However, while the Hilltoppers have a respectable program and defense, the Fighting Irish they are not.
McCord is going to be put to his biggest test yet in Week 4 and he'll have to perform well for the Buckeyes to remain undefeated.
