How Buckeyes' Unknown QB Creates 'Unique' Challenge for Indiana

By not naming a starting quarterback, the Ohio State Buckeyes are doing themselves a favor as they prepare for the season-opener versus Indiana.

After another weekend of contemplating the quarterback competition, Ohio State coach Ryan Day still has no answer for who will be the Buckeyes' starting quarterback on Saturday in the season-opener against Indiana. 

"Not tonight, guys," Day said during his Monday press conference about if he had an announcement about the quarterbacks. 

This may not be a surprise after a recent report from ESPN's Pete Thamel indicated that Day expects to play both Kyle McCord and Devin Brown against the Hoosiers. 

Yet, even if that is not the case and the Buckeyes know who their starting quarterback is for the season-opener, keeping it close to the vest could play more to their advantage, as Indiana coach Tom Allen explained in his Monday press conference. 

"I think it’s not very many times that we’ve had a quarterback that we don’t really know a lot about, ..." Allen said. "You have to go back to high school film for a lot of these guys, for both of these guys. So I think that makes it unique."

McCord is the only quarterback that Allen and co. will be able to find in-game snaps of, as he made his first career start back in 2021 as a freshman against Akron after an injury to then-starting quarterback C.J. Stroud. But since then, McCord has played sparingly, and when he did, it was on cleanup duty as the Buckeyes were blowing out their opponent. 

Conversely, Brown has yet to record a start or even throw a pass as a Buckeye. Brown saw action against Toledo and Rutgers last season but only rushed for a yard on his only carry against Toledo.

Which is part of the challenge for Allen and Indiana as they prepare for the Buckeyes. What Ohio State has shown on tape with McCord back in 2021 is outdated and may not necessarily be a strong indicator of how they will use him now, while Brown is a complete unknown in terms of how Day will build an offense around him.

“That creates challenges without question, but we’re preparing for that," Allen said. "We’re preparing for both. They have a standard of how they play, and you’ve got a consistency in what they’re doing offensively."