Sometimes it feels like coaches’ speak, but you never know what kind of trials and tribulations a team encounters during the first game of a season. That was definitely the case for Ohio State when it took on the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday.
The Buckeyes offense came out a little flat and struggled to move the ball during the first half. Ohio State had to lean on solid defensive play before it finally started cooking better in the second half. In the end, OSU pulled away a little for a 23-3 victory.
Buy Buckeyes TicketsAt the end of the day, a win is a win is a win. However, there’s plenty to work on for the 2023 version of the Ohio State Buckeyes. As we do with every game that OSU plays, we like to reflect on what we saw and pull out five observations from the game.
Here are five things we think we learned after watching Ohio State in Game 1 for Ohio State on Saturday against Indiana.
Relax, it's the first game of the year
What we think we learned
I know a lot of Ohio State fans are going to be wringing their hands after this one because of the struggles on offense. Remember, it’s just Game 1, and we don’t know how good Indiana is. You can almost bet on things getting better as the season goes on. What you see today, is not what this team will be weeks from now. Take the win, get back to work, and move on.
The coaching staff has more confidence in Kyle McCord than Devin Brown
What we think we learned
Going into the game, Ryan Day said both quarterbacks would get playing time. If you count three snaps for Devin Brown as playing time, then yeah, that’s correct. It’s clear at this point that the coaching staff has more confidence in McCord, especially with him staying in despite struggles on that side of the ball. Now, we’ll wait to hear from Day and the coaches after the game and what happens going forward.
Kyle McCord isn't quite there yet
What we think we learned
It may not have been pretty with some missed opportunities, but there were signs of potential there with Kyle McCord. He has a live arm and seemed to figure things out a little better in the second half. Remember, a vocal minority of OSU fans were all over C.J. Stroud when he first began his career and he ended up a Heisman finalist two straight years. McCord will continue to improve, and who knows, has a good chance of being really, really good under center.
The offensive line was decent, not great
This Ohio State offensive line very shaky to start honestly that’s the biggest question mark with the Buckeyes this season.
— Tyler Johnson (@T_johnson_TJ) September 2, 2023
What we think we learned
Yeah, I get it — the offensive line wasn’t great in this one. However, it wasn’t horrible either. It’s not up to par from what you would want or expect from a national title contender, but again, things will get better, and we saw a better effort in the second half. The coaches and players will get this all figured out. The sky is not falling.
The defense looks really good
On the bright side, Ohio State's defense has looked great.
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) September 2, 2023
What we think we learned
We’ll put an asterisk next to it because we don’t really know just how good this Indiana offense is, but a quick look at the score and stat sheet tells you all you need to know about the performance of the defense today. Yielding only three points to any team at their place is good, even against the “Sister of the Poor,” so well done there. Indiana also only gained 153 total yards, and that’s a very low number against any team in today’s day and age of offensive game plans.
Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.
