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

The day after: Final thoughts on Ohio State football’s win over Penn State

Penn State Ohio (Person) Ohio State Ohio State football Kyle McCord Buckeyes Football Ryan Day Dallan Hayden Marvin Harrison Jr

As an Ohio State Football fan, just because it’s Sunday and the NFL is on, doesn’t mean you aren’t thinking about your Buckeyes.

While we watch Buckeyes in the pros, we can’t help but dream about the future of this team after its second top 10 win of the season and staying undefeated at 7-0.

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Penn State was a worthy opponent and didn’t take a massive tumble in the polls, but the Buckeyes didn’t move up either. More on both these subjects later.

There are still plenty of thoughts that have stayed with me since yesterday’s grind-it-out win, and here they are starting with the defense.

This team isn’t what we’ve seen from a Ryan Day led team

Thoughts

If you told me that the defense would be carrying a Day led team, I’d question if you were OK. Well, here we are with a Buckeye defense flexing its muscle, holding down a Penn State team that had its lowest offensive output of 30 points coming into the ‘Shoe. The final touchdown in the waning moments counts, but we know the story there. This team is a far cry from what we’ve seen, but …

Offense left plenty on the table

Thoughts

Kyle McCord was solid, throwing for 286 yards and a score. He missed a few of his throws though, which could have resulted in the Buckeyes scoring a few more points. The Buckeyes did all this while missing TreVeyon Henderson and Emeka Egbuka. If those two were healthy and playing, this could very well have been a blowout. Let’s look a bit into how this unit can improve starting with McCord.

Accuracy and timing

Thoughts

McCord started off hot and cooled off significantly, some of his misses were very easy throws. It’s becoming a theme of Day coached Buckeye quarterbacks to hold on to the ball for a bit too long. Unfortunately, McCord falls into this category. His accuracy was so-so, which resulted in an up-and-down offense. A worry of mine is his penchant for the sack-fumble, which almost cost the Buckeyes again. Getting the ball out quicker will help his accuracy and help with potential turnovers.

Play calling

Thoughts

During the game, I made a note of the man in motion being the lead blocker on multiple run plays. Day was setting this up, with eventual passes out of it, with McCord finding Marvin Harrison Jr. for a 35-yard gain. This was great to see, but when you mix in the insistence to run to the edge with Miyan Williams, it’s all so confusing. He’s much better at running in small spaces, but I get not trying to use Chip Trayanum due to his vicious hit taken last week. Some of this will alleviate itself when Henderson can come back, but …

Unleash Dallan Hayden

Thoughts

I just don’t get it, Hayden has shown that he can play at a high-level, but the coaches don’t seem to want to give him a legit opportunity. Could this be them rewarding the upperclassmen? You play the best players, regardless of age and with Henderson out, it sure feels like he’s the Buckeyes best option. I hate to even think this could be the case, but it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if he was to transfer during the offseason.

Lorenzo Styles Jr. almost cost the Buckeyes the game

Thoughts

The plan all along was to give the older Styles playing time on special teams while he fully transitioned to a cornerback. Well, this was not his best game. He missed two tackles on kickoffs, and a punt bounced off his leg that the Lions jumped on for a turnover. I’d much rather see …

Jermaine Mathews Jr.’s in an expanded role

Thoughts

The true freshman balled out on Saturday. He was phenomenal, standing out among a group that played at a high level against PSU. Mathews Jr. won’t Wally Pipp Denzel Burke, but he sure earned more playing time after his performance. I’d like to see him replace Styles Jr. in the gunner position while getting plenty of reps as corner.

Penn State is close, but again can’t seal the deal

Thoughts

We’ve seen this story from the Nittany Lions — they battle the Buckeyes for three quarters then lose the grasp of the game late. This is one of the best teams Penn State has had in a long time, the program is close .drew allar could turn out to be a very good quarterback, or he could be Christian Hackenberg all over again. It remains to be seen how much longer James Franklin will be in Happy Valley, as the fan base might be getting a bit frustrated with the lack of big game results.

The polls

Thoughts

Ohio State’s résumé is better than any other team in the country, but it isn’t ranked first in either major poll. That shouldn’t matter one bit, actually, I kind of like it. The new Dark Day is most likely using it as motivation, Urban Meyer style. I want the doubters to continue, it’s just motivating this team. The only rankings that matter are the College Football Playoff rankings, and this team should see a jump once the first set is released on Halloween night.

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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