Every Monday morning, managing editor Colin Gay will get Buckeye fans set for the week ahead with ten thoughts. Some will be left over from the weekend, some will look ahead to the week to come. Most, but not all, will revolve around Ohio State.
Grab a cup of coffee and get prepared for the week ahead with Colin's thoughts heading into the week.
OK, let’s start with the quarterbacks. Kyle McCord was clearly “the guy” on Saturday, even through overthrows, underthrows and his first career interception, he found his groove for the offense, using the shovel pass to gain steam, completing 13 of his final 15 pass attempts for 319 yards and two touchdowns. So what’s next for the freshman? Much of that has to do with the health of redshirt freshman C.J. Stroud. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said he and Stroud made a decision to rest the redshirt quarterback the Sunday after Ohio State’s Week 3 win over Tulsa, making the Sunday after the Akron win one week of rest. Day said he wasn’t sure of Stroud’s overall status, but that he was getting stronger. The Ohio State head coach made it clear that the health of the offense would come down to the three main guys in his quarterback room: Stroud, McCord and Jack Miller III, who added 66 yards passing against the Zips. But it clearly seems to be a two-man room, with Miller taking the field only in garbage time. So here’s what I think Ohio State will do. I think Stroud will come back against Rutgers. I think Day knows that he has one hell of an insurance policy with McCord. From that point, the Ohio State offense begins to evolve, knowing there’s depth now in that quarterback room, knowing there’s experience to be used.
It helps to have a running game led by TreVeyon Henderson. It was the first time in school history where an Ohio State freshman started at quarterback and running back. But the thing is the Buckeyes really don’t view Henderson as a freshman. He’s running as if he’s been there for years. I mean, this is what he’s done through his first four games as an Ohio State running back: 439 rushing yards on 46 carries for 9.5 yards per touch and seven all-purpose touchdowns, scoring in each of the first four games of his career. This dude can straight-up run. His agility and burst are exceptional. Nobody has really figured out how to stop him, finding the holes he needs from his teammates and doing what he was taught how to do.Oh, and he didn’t play high school football as a senior last year. This is where Ohio State’s balance starts. With the foundation of Henderson beside Stroud, McCord or whoever is out there, the Buckeye offense is already at an advantage.
But there is a clear question that still remains in the Ohio State running back room: Who’s No. 2?
