SOUTH BEND, Ind. — In his scale down hour as far as Ohio Condition’s establishing quarterback, Kyle McCord has been quiet, composed and total good-looking relax. That’s how his coaches and teammates have described him, and that’s the way in which he’s checked in video games.

However overdue on Saturday night time, next he led a important 65-yard game-winning power in 66 seconds, McCord misplaced it. Once Buckeyes working again Chip Trayanum crossed the function series to clinch a 17-14 comeback win at Notre Dame, McCord sprinted to the sideline, ripped off his helmet, and celebrated loudly in entrance of the Combating Irish enthusiasts who had simply had what would had been a enormous victory snatched away.

He allowed himself the transient explode of emotion (as observable within the above video posted on Twitter by way of his father), however briefly regained his generally subdued demeanor. A couple of mins then, McCord snuck in in the back of tutor Ryan While right through his fiery press convention, sitting on a folding chair within the nook of the room future his tutor spoke, and scrolling thru his telephone till it was once his flip to deal with the media. When McCord sooner or later stepped as much as the rostrum, he responded questions hopefully and immediately, extra like a veteran than a first-year starter.

Some of the storylines prominent into this top-10 matchup was once about revel in degree at quarterback. McCord was once making his 5th get started ever, future Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman was once a sixth-year switch who were in large video games like this earlier than. Ryan While referred to as that comparability “significant” and wasn’t naive that it can be a issue within the end result.

Aside from that because it seems, McCord was once able for his close-up and pulled off a seriously grab efficiency.

“You judge a quarterback on third down, the red zone and two-minute,” While mentioned next the sport. “To win the game in a two-minute drill, that’s what great quarterbacks do. And for his first top-10 road game to be put in a situation and come through says a lot about his future. I mean, there were some big-time throws in there, he hung in there, he’s poised, and what a great win for our program. 

“For Kyle to come back into that spot, that’s large.”

McCord went 21-of-37 for 240 yards with no turnovers. He didn’t get rattled in the most important situations. On the final drive, McCord converted a huge fourth-down pass for a 7-yard gain to keep the Buckeyes’ hopes alive. He was also 9-of-12 passing on third down in the game, as Ohio State converted 10 of its 17 opportunities.

“He performed his very best ball on 3rd indisposed nowadays,” Day said.

McCord is accurate, can throw balls into tight spaces, and has a strong arm. This was evident several times, like when he put some zip on a nice pass to Emeka Egbuka in the second quarter that would have been a touchdown had the receiver not dropped it in the end zone.

His shining moment, of course, was the final dramatic drive. Down 14-10 with 1:26 to play, McCord completed passes to Egbuka for 23 yards on third-and-10, to Julian Fleming for 7 yards on fourth-and-7, and again to Egbuka for 21 yards on third-and-19 that brought the Buckeyes to the 1-yard line and set up the winning play.

“We’re by no means out of it till there’s negative hour left at the clock,” McCord said before praising his offensive line and running backs for pass protection, and the receivers for getting open. “So long as we’ve were given the ball, and we’ve were given at some point left, the sky’s the restrict for this offense.

“It was almost backyard football-esque there at the end just trying to find the open guy, and we did that,” he persisted. “The rest is history.”

While had simplest formally named McCord his establishing quarterback for the season two weeks prior. He’d battled Devin Brown — who ran as much as him at the sideline and chest-bumped him next Trayanum’s landing — in the course of the offseason.

Now his first primary check is in the back of him, however there are extra to come back. Ohio Condition will get Penn Condition at house after presen earlier than touring to Wisconsin on the finish of October and then, after all, to Michigan. May he be the quarterback who leads the Buckeyes to their first win over the Wolverines in two seasons? Whether or not that finally ends up taking place or no longer, he proved himself towards a difficult opponent in a adversarial atmosphere. The hope now in Columbus is that issues simplest reinforce from right here.

“Bottom line is he competed and won a game like this,” While mentioned. “And that’s the start.”

Laken Litman covers faculty soccer, faculty basketball and football for FOX Sports activities. She up to now wrote for Sports activities Illustrated, USA Lately and The Indianapolis Megastar. She is the creator of “Strong Like a Woman,” revealed in spring 2022 to mark the fiftieth annualannually of Identify IX. Practice her on Twitter @LakenLitman.

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