Buckeye Nation President, Blake Biscardi, delivers his Week 2 Buckeye State of the Union address about the Ohio State football team.

My fellow Buckeyes,

Before getting to today’s article, we must pause, honor and never forget the lives tragically lost and families affected by the horrific events on September 11, 2001, 22 years ago. Thank you to all the heroic first responders – police officers, firefighters, first responders, and unsung heroes – who came to the rescue that day, and to all the brave men and women that currently serve today to protect our country and communities. God Bless America today, and everyday. 

It is with great pleasure that I inform you our Ohio State Buckeyes played solid football on Saturday. While there are still questions with answers to be desired, the road forward becomes clearer. 

The Buckeyes scored touchdowns on five of its nine possessions, only three of which came in the second half. Devin Brown saw his first extended action of the season, too, so let’s evaluate the Buckeye State of the Union after Week 2: 

1. Kyle McCord is QB1

Of all the takeaways from Saturday, the biggest was the separation between Kyle McCord and Devin Brown. Buckeye Nation, this is McCord’s team and probably always has been. The former 5-star looked poised and confident, especially when stretching the field vertically. 

McCord found Marvin Harrison Jr. 5 times for 142 yards and 2 TD in the first quarter alone. That connection between No. 6 and No. 18 will only get stronger. The Buckeyes saw Julian Fleming and Cade Stover contribute significantly at Indiana. On Saturday, the two best WRs in the country, Harrison and Emeka Egbuka, both found the endzone with nice afternoons. 

Kyle’s decision-making was much better than a week ago, as well. When evaluating a new QB, you want to see week-to-week growth. That’s precisely what we saw from McCord, who finished the day 14/20 with 258 yards and 3 TDs. Now, it is all about preparing for the challenging road test in South Bend against Notre Dame in two weeks. 

2. TreVeyon Henderson + the Running Game 

One of the other bright spots offensively was the explosiveness from RB TreVeyon Henderson. He found the endzone twice on Saturday, finishing with five carries for 56 yards in addition to his scores. Henderson is the most electric back in the room, and his style of play is one of Ohio State’s greatest assets this season. He’s RB1. 

Just because Henderson is RB1 doesn’t mean the other running backs shouldn’t see the field. The Buckeyes are four deep at that position, and Miyan Williams and Chip Trayanum after high-level services as well. The more physical backs total 12 carries for 45 yards on Saturday. 

As a whole, the ground attack for Ohio State has been about average. Against Youngstown State, the final tally was 27 carries for 123 yards and 2 TDs, which averages 4.6 yards per carry. That number needs to improve for the bigger games. However, part of that is due to the patience required with the offensive line. 

The unit was better against YSU than Indiana and committed a handful of costly penalties, some of which altered the scoreboard. As I mentioned last week, they need all the reps they can get heading into a physical and raucous South Bend, Indiana, environment against Notre Dame. 

3. Where’s the EDGE Rushers? 

The Silver Bullets are already playing at a high level but still have improvements in front of them. This unit is the best since 2019 and has been stout outside of two drives. The defensive backs took a big step forward this year; thank you to the transfer portal. Cam Martinez did have a tough day yesterday, though. Overall, the back seven of the defense is lights out. 

There have been 3.0 total sacks, and none of them are by JT Tuimoloau or Jack Sawyer? I saw speculation that Jim Knowles’ defense needs the edge rushers to contain the pocket so the interior linemen and LBs can do all the work, but the numbers don’t back that up. His system is working, and there have been steady improvements each week. 

The sacks will come soon enough. Ohio State’s best defensive unit has been its interior DL, and worst is its Edge rushers, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). Overall, the defense is the strength and anchor of this team right now and will continue to be even when the offense fully figures it out. The Silver Bullets are that good. 

4. Third Down Success Rate

Of all the categories I address, this requires the most urgency. Ohio State ranks 114th in third down conversion rate in the FBS. Ryan Day’s teams historically average a 51% conversion rate, yet it’s only 30% this year. 

When you look at the ingredients of elite teams, they have good quarterback play, strong lines of scrimmage, a solid defense, and are efficient on third downs. How many of these boxes do the Buckeyes check right now? The good news is that it’s September, and championships aren’t won in the season’s opening month.  

5. Clock Rules and Possession Efficiency 

In his press conferences, Ryan Day has subtly addressed the new clock rules by alluding to fewer possessions. Though the numbers aren’t yet backing up the claims in every game, the Buckeyes are certainly feeling the impacts. Ohio State scored 35 points on Saturday, which is fewer than everyone expected. However, of the nine possessions, the Buckeyes found the endzone during five of them. 

In addition, the offense only saw three full possessions in the second half, scoring on one. The bottom line is that the game looks different with the new rules, and coaches and teams must adjust. But so do the expectations of the fans. No team scores a touchdown on every single drive; that’s impossible. Ohio State went 4/6 in the first half and 1 for 3 in the second. Good numbers if you ask me. Regardless, they can improve and will when the OL gels and the offense begins converting third downs at a better clip. 

We’ll return next week…