The third ranked Ohio State Buckeyes opened up their 2023 campaign on the road in Bloomington, Indiana this past Saturday. Despite early struggles, the Buckeyes would go on to top the Hoosiers and win the game by a score of 23-3.
First year starting QB, Kyle McCord had his ups and downs throughout the game, but appeared to find his footing in the second half. McCord finished 20 of 33 passing with 239 yards and 1 interception. McCord connected with WR Marvin Harrison Jr. on what appeared to be a touchdown, but the score was called back due to an illegal touching penalty against the Buckeyes. QB Devin Brown also saw the field for a couple of possessions, but wasn't able to muster much. He would finish 1 of 3 with -2 yards passing.
The Buckeyes backfield featured a three back system with Miyan Williams, Treveyon Henderson, and Chip Trayanum. Williams had both of the Ohio State touchdowns on the day, scoring from 3 and 7 yards out. Trayanum led all Buckeye rushers with 8 carries tallying 57 yards. Henderson would add 47 yards on 12 carries, with his longest rush of the day totaling 19 yards.
Tight end Cade Stover shined in the Buckeyes air attack as he led all receivers with 98 yards on Saturday. Julian Fleming led all Buckeye receivers with 6 catches on Saturday. Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka had a quiet afternoon, the two combined for only 5 catches for 34 yards. Buckeye fans also got a dose of true freshman WR Carnell Tate, who caught his first collegiate pass, going for 15 yards.
The performance from the Buckeye defense has seemingly gone under the radar due to the struggles from the offensive side of the ball. The Ohio State defense held Indiana to 153 yards of total offense on Saturday. Sonny Styles shined in his new role in the Buckeye defense, the sophomore finished with 4 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss. Styles seemed to be in on every play, flying all over the field. LB Steele Chambers led the defense with 6 tackles on Saturday. Second year DE Caden Curry appears to have a much bigger role in this year’s defense. Curry impressed, finishing with 4 tackles with 1 tackle for loss. The Buckeyes secondary only allowed 82 yards passing, a good showing from a group who has been under heavy scrutiny since the conclusion of last season.
Ohio State will host Youngstown State this coming Saturday at Ohio Stadium, where they look to advance to 2-0 on the season.