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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Michael Chen

Questions Ohio State football needs to answer against Youngstown State

The season now steps into week two for Ohio State Football, and there are still plenty of questions surrounding this team.

Some of those have been answered — at least after one week of observation, like the defense being much more sound, but there are plenty that still need to be answered by the Buckeyes. I’m sure your questions are a bit different than mine, but feel free to @ me on social if you see one come up that interests you.

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Here are a few of those questions that I would love to see Ohio State football answer in their home opener against the Fighting Jim Tressels, I mean, Youngstown State.

Has Kyle McCord taken positive steps?

Why

We all know why this is a big question. McCord had a few elite throws, but there were some bad ones mixed in as well. It was certainly not a Heisman-level performance, but this team doesn’t necessarily need that from whomever is the starter. McCord has to show growth from Indiana to this weekend and we will find out soon if he has.

What will the quarterback rotation look like?

Why

Head coach Ryan Day continued to say that Devin Brown will get some playing time, but the question is how much? Brown was on the field for six snaps against the Hoosiers, which isn’t nearly enough to evaluate his abilities. If McCord makes a significant leap from Week 1 to this week, Brown will fall behind again. If they both play well, the controversy continues. This week’s rotation between the two of them will go a long way as to who will eventually win the job.

Will this defense continue it’s progress?

Why

Last week was a major step in the right direction for this defense, even though the competition wasn’t very high. The three points given up was a great job, and this week they face a Penguins team that has less talent than Indiana. Back-to-back impressive performances will go a long way for the confidence of this group.

What will the running back rotation look like?

Why

Like the quarterbacks, this will be an ongoing situation until someone emerges. The coaching staff is trying it’s best to have TreVeyon Henderson be that guy, but he wasn’t all that impressive in the opener. You know who was? Chip Trayanum, who in my eye deserves to get 15-plus touches with the way that he ran against Indiana. With five backs that are capable of helping this team win games, it will be interesting how the coaching staff handles this opportunities as well.

Will we see any takeaways?

Why

You know the thing that was missing from last week’s impressive defensive effort? Taking the ball away. The Buckeyes were great, but didn’t force any turnovers, something that has been a bit of a bugaboo since Jim Knowles took over. For this offense to put up more points, the defense has to create extra chances by forcing turnovers or even scoring themselves, especially with the new clock rules that shorten possessions.

How about sacks?

Why

If you had Hero Kanu as the first Buckeye to register a sack in 2023, you need to start playing the lottery immediately. That isn’t a knock on the defensive tackle, it’s just that it seemed like some of his teammates, who get more playing time, would have done it and much earlier than in the fourth quarter. Some of it had to do with the Hoosiers not throwing much, but it did seem like many of the defensive linemen were a step too late getting home. Hopefully, they get there this weekend.

Contact/Follow @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Michael Chen on X.

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