by Kyle Golik
It seems like eons ago when Joe Bauserman started under center for Ohio State. He had the unenviable task of stepping in for Terrelle Pryor after the tattoo scandal that ultimately led to the departure of head coach Jim Tressel.
For many Ohio State fans, saying Bauserman’s name is as profane as mentioning “The Team Up North” by name.
Bauserman was eventually replaced by Braxton Miller, and he kick-started a golden age of Ohio State quarterbacks that included J.T. Barrett, Dwayne Haskins, Justin Fields, and C.J. Stroud. This group won 10 of 11 Griese-Brees Big Ten Quarterback of the Year Awards.
Along the way, each of those quarterbacks had some harsh criticisms from the demanding fanbase, but each, in a lot of ways, won big to overcome the criticism. I use Bauserman as a reference point as the last time Ohio State didn’t have a firm quarterback situation.
I want to emphasize clearly before I get eviscerated with unnecessary tags and comments that current starter Kyle McCord is not in the same league as Bauserman.
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Deserved Criticism?
Why the Bauserman comparison is relevant: in my following reaction to Ohio State this season, no player has been more scrutinized and under the microscope than McCord. If anything, the scrutiny McCord is receiving is unlike any Buckeye signal caller since Bauserman.
Is it fair, though?
On the surface, McCord is in the Top 10 in QBR, completing nearly two-thirds of his passes, and has Ohio State 9-0 ranked No. 1 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. This TD-to-INT ratio is better than 4:1.
When you go under the microscope, especially beginning with the Penn State game, a few issues arise. While he’s completing 67% of his passes, that doesn’t say much. Any competent passer can do that with the corps of receivers and tight ends that the Buckeyes have on their roster. During the Penn State game and in stretches against Wisconsin and Rutgers, McCord was unlike the great signal callers before him: he was a liability.
Against Penn State, McCord was notably shaken after the negated Curtis Jacobs scoop and score. Fortunately for McCord, Penn State’s Kalen King got penalized behind the play. At the end of the game, the difference for Ohio State was simply that the Buckeyes had Marvin Harrison Jr., and Penn State did not.
Last week against Rutgers, the Scarlet Knights were dominating the line of scrimmage and had a 9-7 lead going into halftime. Rutgers led into the third quarter, but the Scarlet Knights couldn’t handle the success, and the Ohio State avalanche saved the Buckeyes.
Head coach Ryan Day remarked postgame that Rutgers did a good job using their safeties deep in a cloud formation to take away the Ohio State wide receivers. Day mentioned the second-half adjustments that needed to be made, “At halftime, we realized we’ve got to be patient enough to run the ball all the way down the field. … Then we also have to check the ball down and take the underneath stuff, I thought Kyle did a good job of that in the second half.”
Not Lacking for Opportunity
Ohio State is loaded at all levels of the field, McCord is complemented by one of the nation’s best receiving corps in Harrison Jr. Emeka Egbuka, Julian Fleming, Carnell Tate, not to mention tight end Cade Stover. They have a trio at running back that, with the return of TreVeyon Henderson, can make big plays every week, and a physical offensive line that is exceptional in all phases.
Defensively, J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer look like future NFL impact edge rushers, and interior lineman Tyleik Williams has an impressive motor and has lived in opponents’ backfields. The linebacking duo of Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers are as good as any duo in the nation. The secondary is always immensely talented, headlined by Denzel Burke and Josh Proctor.
Learning from History
Ohio State is primed for another national championship run despite the question mark in McCord. This isn’t the first time that the Buckeyes have had a chance to win without elite quarterback play, either.
In 2002, Craig Krenzel wasn’t exactly lighting it up with Maurice Clarett in the backfield and future NFL standouts Michael Jenkins and Chris Gamble. Krenzel was efficient enough not to make mistakes, and when the Buckeyes needed a big throw, he came through.
In 2014, Cardale Jones had to take over for J.T. Barrett for the conclusion of the Michigan game, and he was more than adequate during a three-game stretch where the Buckeyes demolished Wisconsin 59-0 and the subsequent College Football Playoff run against Alabama and Oregon. Don’t forget it was Barrett who had to take over for Braxton Miller, who was injured prior to the season starting.
McCord is beginning to settle in as the starter. Still, at some point every week, it seems he is going through growing pains. Now the stakes are even higher with The Game to conclude the season, a potential Big Ten Championship Game, and the College Football Playoff if the chips fall right. The teams McCord will be going up against don’t have question marks at quarterback, and it isn’t a liability.
Being a hero is an option here for McCord. He can put it all together and get Ohio State fans excited for the rest of his time being their quarterback. I feel there’s a higher chance of McCord digging Ohio State into a hole against inferior competition that they can work their way out of.
Where I settle is he just needs to make plays. There is too much talent around him for him to play hero ball, and Day knows he needs to reinforce to take what the opponent gives him and let his team take care of the rest. If McCord follows that recipe, Ohio State will raise its second College Football Playoff championship in Houston.
