Welcome to DTE Helmet Stickers. Since 1968, Ohio State has rewarded its top performers with stickers for big plays, wins and key milestones. We at Dotting the 'Eyes can't physically reward any stickers but we're doing our part to highlight the players that stood out the most in every Buckeyes contest, win or lose.
COLUMBUS — After two lackluster offensive performances to start the 2023 season, the Ohio State Buckeyes looked like their old selves on Saturday against an outgunned Western Kentucky squad.
Ryan Day's offense scored touchdowns on six of its seven first-half possessions en route to a 42-10 halftime lead against the Hilltoppers and cruised to a 63-10 win thanks to a pair of defensive scores in the second half.
It was a performance that Ohio State had been building to in the last two weeks and the culmination of a physical, high-energy week of practice by the Buckeyes.
“Make no mistake about it, we turned it up this week," Ryan Day said post-game. "We know we have to go on the road next week ... You saw our team play like that today, and that's what it's going to be moving forward."
Which of Day's players helped propel his team forward this week? The staff of Dotting the 'Eyes is handing out our helmet stickers from win number three for Ohio State.
Offensive Player of the Game: QB Kyle McCord
The designation had to be earned, and it also didn't come with a permanent, full-time guarantee moving forward. But Kyle McCord showed exactly why he was named as the official starting quarterback in the first game with that tag, showing progress yet again as he settles into the role leading the high-powered Ohio State attack.The junior appeared to be in complete command for the Buckeyes, completing 19 of his 23 passing attempts for 318 yards and 3 touchdowns.
He hit on a handful of deep shots that showed the strength of his arm. He made another play with his legs to get a drive started in a two-minute drill on the way to the end zone. And while he did lose a fumble, McCord responded to that adversity by pulling the strings on a dazzling 35-point outburst by Ohio State in the second quarter. Next week on the road at Notre Dame will certainly be a tougher test, but McCord appears to have done everything he can to be ready for it.
Defensive Player of the Game: DT Tyleik Williams
Despite the occasional flash of his talent, Tyleik William's Ohio State football career has been—until this season—underwhelming. He's been admittedly inconsistent and—in his own words—not as committed to the game as he should or could be.
The light appears to be fully on for Williams three games into his junior season though and on Saturday afternoon he showed the full range of his talents against Western Kentucky. He recorded seven tackles, including a crucial first half sack, and was rewarded for his efforts with a fumble recovery in the end zone for his first career touchdown.
If the effort shown by Williams in the first quarter of the 2023 season is a true indicator of what he's capable of, he could prove to be one of the season's biggest surprises for Ohio State and a key piece of a potential national title run.
X-Factor of the Game: LB Steele Chambers
When a game finishes as lopsided as this one did, it's hard to point toward any play as the play, but it felt like Chambers made it during the second quarter. Chambers and fellow linebacker Tommy Eichenberg saw something in Western Kentucky's formation that tipped off a play. The defense shifted, and then Chambers stepped around a blocker to snuff out a pitch play for a loss of one on third-and-5. That was preparation, scouting and a player reacting when he trusted what his eyes were telling him. It was a splash play that seemed to lead to more splash plays from the defense. That unit was rolling from there, and more than a few players had a hand in it.
Chambers finished with eight tackles, that tackle for loss and an interception. More importantly, he seemed to help ignite what became a dominant defensive effort from the midway point of the second quarter on.
