3 things Ohio State defeats Indiana 23-3:
Kyle McCord did win in his first career start for the Buckeyes, but overall, his play on the field was okay at best. McCord was 20 for 33, 239 yards and an interception. Devin Brown also appeared and did not do much, only making three throws for one completion for -2 yards.
Still, there is plenty of time in the season, and this is only game one, so we can’t base the entire season on one game, but compared to new quarterbacks in recent years, one can tell McCord and Brown have a lot of work to do to catch up.
The Buckeyes have multiple weapons, particularly Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka, and neither did much on the afternoon. No one from the receiver or running back position lit it up at any point in this game.
Ohio State was forced through the slowdown Indiana tempo to play a slower game with fewer possessions, but still, the Buckeyes never were able to spread the field and get the Hoosiers with one-on-one matchups in space. They frankly looked like a slow team, and the Buckeyes have to figure out a way to use their speed and athletic ability moving forward.
The one big positive was the Ohio State defense did a great job against the Hoosier running game, never allowing it to get going on the day. Indiana was held to 71 rushing yards.
Miyan Williams notched a pair of rushing touchdowns while the newly appointed starting quarterback, Kyle McCord, secured his first victory for the No. 3 Ohio State team. They outmatched Indiana 23-3 this past Saturday.
The Buckeyes, with a 1-0 record in the Big Ten and overall, continued their impressive streak by winning their 23rd consecutive season-opener and extending their dominance in the series with 28 consecutive victories, which is the longest active winning streak in the FBS.
Indiana, on the other hand, started the season with a 0-1 record in the Big Ten and overall, as they have struggled recently, losing nine out of their last ten games dating back to the previous season.
However, it was an unusually slow start for Coach Ryan Day‘s team, but they eventually found their rhythm, particularly as the Hoosiers’ defense began to tire.
The game began with Williams scoring a 7-yard touchdown on Ohio State’s opening possession. The first half saw both teams trading field goals, resulting in a 10-3 score at halftime. The Buckeyes extended their lead to 13-3 with a short field goal in the middle of the third quarter, and Williams later broke through with a 3-yard TD run, pushing Ohio State to a comfortable 20-3 lead with 1:51 left in the third quarter.
Williams recorded seven carries for 25 yards, while TreVeyon Henderson contributed 47 yards on 12 carries. McCord completed 20 of 33 passes for 239 yards and one interception. Marvin Harrison Jr., an All-America receiver, caught two passes for 18 yards but had a touchdown nullified due to an illegal touching call.
For Indiana, the second-year quarterbacks, Tayven Jackson and Brendan Sorsby, split playing time, managing to complete 9 of 21 passes for a total of 82 yards. The Hoosiers struggled offensively, producing only 153 total yards and relying on a 40-yard field goal that bounced in off the right upright for their only points of the game.
The Buckeyes face Youngtown State in their home opener next Saturday, September 9th, at 12 p.m.
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