Ohio State’s Kyle McCord, Ryan Day Criticized by Fans Despite Win vs. Indiana

Ohio State handled its business in its 2023 debut on Saturday, defeating Indiana 23-3.

But it wasn’t exactly a convincing performance, especially on the offensive side of the ball, where starter Kyle McCord didn’t exactly light up the Hoosiers’ defense, finishing 20-of-39 for 239 yards, no touchdowns and an interception.

McCord and Devin Brown competed for the starting job ahead of the season, with McCord winning the gig. Some Ohio State fans weren’t so sure Ryan Day made the right choice after the mediocre performance, while others felt the general response to McCord’s second career start was harsh and that he improved throughout the game:

Day’s play-calling and general scheme also came under fire after the ho-hum offensive performance:

And that means McCord’s overall performance requires some further context.

The offensive line didn’t play terribly well. The offensive play-calling seemed surprisingly conservative for long stretches. McCord had a very nice touchdown pass to Marvin Harrison Jr. called off by a penalty after Harrison stepped out of bounds during his route.

But Harrison and Emeka Egbuka combining for just five receptions and 34 yards, with no touchdowns, will raise some eyebrows, both about the game plan and also McCord’s decision-making. He also made some questionable choices in the run game when called upon, in one particular instance missing a wide open running lane.

Ohio State was fortunate that the defense came to play (and that Indiana’s offense is pretty poor, with just—gulp—82 passing yards on the day). Otherwise this game may have been far more interesting than expected.

As it stood, it wasn’t exactly the sort of season-opening performance a championship contender like Ohio State would have wanted. It’s clear the offense has a lot of work to do going forward, and that starts with the pair of Day and McCord.