Kyle McCord has Ohio State fans in shambles with brutal start vs. Indiana
![Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Kyle McCord Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Kyle McCord](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4164,h_2342,x_0,y_88/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/229/01h9bw432c7y6x21kvnf.jpg)
Ohio State spent most of the offseason locked in a quarterback battle with Kyle McCord and Devin Brown vying to replace CJ Stroud. McCord won the job, but at this rate, it'll be tough to keep it.
The Buckeyes looked shaky in the first half of Saturday's season opener against Indiana and McCord took much of the blame.
Despite hitting 10-of-16 passes for 94 yards, the quarterback threw a bad interception and struggled to put points on the board despite having an NFL-level wide receiving corps available to him.
With Ohio State holding a narrow 10-3 lead at halftime, fans on Twitter weren't happy.
Best memes and tweets as Ohio State fans freak out about Kyle McCord
Halftime thoughts
— Buckeyes Network (@BuckeyesNetwork) September 2, 2023
- CBS announcers suck
- Kyle McCord does not look good
- Pass-blocking is bad
- Nothing exciting
- Best WR core in CFB not involved
Conclusion: I’m scared
“Throwing across your body over the middle in traffic is a horrible idea”
— McNeil (@Reflog_18) September 2, 2023
Kyle McCord: pic.twitter.com/wo5YKo7nyp
Kyle McCord is not "him".
— Vaughn Broadnax (@vaughnbroadnax) September 2, 2023
Dwayne Haskins Justin Fields and Cj Stroud to Kyle McCord must be torture for Ryan Day
— sheffsaysftwatter (@sheffsaysftwat1) September 2, 2023
I’ve said this for 3 years & I’ll stick by it, Kyle McCord is the least impressive & skilled OSU QB since Todd Beckman
— EA (@KOLD740) September 2, 2023
B- level at just about everything
Head coach Ryan Day wasn't free from blame as the Buckeyes tried to figure out what was going wrong with their offense. Putting Brown in the game — and then going three-and-out — didn't do anything to calm the nerves.
The worst thing Ohio State could do for Kyle McCord right now is put Devin Brown in the game. And that's exactly what Ryan Day is doing...
— Andrew Lind (@AndrewMLind) September 2, 2023
Benching Kyle McCord after he throws an interception sends a bad message. You need to see how he responds to the adversity not immediately take him out of the game for making one mistake.
— Tyler Johnson (@T_johnson_TJ) September 2, 2023
Remember all those times last year Ryan Day left CJ Stroud in lopsided games? Those could have been productive snaps for Kyle McCord.
— Michael Citro (@Mike36fan) September 2, 2023
Others on Twitter spent their time trying to tell fans to chill out. After all, Stroud wasn't exactly impressive in his first look as a starter.
Just for the comparisons here:
— Stephen Means (@Stephen_Means) September 2, 2023
C.J. Stroud’s 1st half at Minnesota in 2021: 8 of 14 for 58 yards and an INT
Kyle McCord’s first half at Indiana in 2023: 9 of 12 for 70 yards and an INT
In both cases, the new quarterback wasn’t elevating things, but he also wasn't the problem
The first game of the season, especially a Big Ten road opener, can be a tricky affair for a first-time starter. The rust is still coming off and it's natural to be a bit tense. It's definitely too early to give up on McCord.
Still, Buckeyes fans are dreaming of a national title and watching their offense look so questionable against a 30-point underdog makes those dreams look slightly more unattainable.
McCord needs to settle down to prove he has what it takes to lead a championship contender. It's not how you start, it's how you finish. And the quarterback will get his chance to show what he's got, one way or another.
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