Is Kyle McCord ready to be Ohio State’s starting quarterback? Do the Buckeyes have the talent they need on the offensive line? Is the defense ready to take a step forward in Jim Knowles’ second year? And which Buckeyes are on the verge of breakout seasons?
Ohio State fans will have the opportunity to evaluate all of those questions for themselves when the Buckeyes participate in their annual spring game at Ohio Stadium at 12:05 p.m. Saturday, when the Buckeyes’ offense will go head-to-head with the defense in a Scarlet vs. Gray scrimmage that will be televised live on Big Ten Network.
For Ohio State’s coaches, it will be their last opportunity to evaluate their players in 11-on-11 on-field action until they begin preseason camp in August. And it’s the closest thing the Buckeyes will have all offseason to a real game as they compete against each other in front of what’s expected to be another sizable crowd on a warm, sunny day in Columbus.
How a player performs in the spring game isn’t always an accurate predictor of how a player will perform in the fall. There have been plenty of examples of Buckeyes who had standout performances in the spring game but never went on to make a significant impact in real games. Conversely, there have been players who struggled in the spring game only to become stars that fall, such as Justin Fields, who completed four of 13 passes in Ohio State’s 2019 spring game and went on to become a Heisman finalist that fall.
Still, it is the first opportunity of the year to see how this year’s Buckeyes will perform when the spotlight of a fan-filled Shoe is upon them. As such, it is an important step in the preparation and evaluation process for the Buckeyes as they conclude their 15-practice spring schedule for 2023.
“It's a piece of the puzzle, for sure,” Day said. “I mean, we've had guys who have gone out and played really, really good in that game and not really had great careers. And then other guys who have really played poorly in that game and had great careers. But I'd say the majority of it, it's a pretty good indication of how they're going to handle themselves in a pressure environment.”
Saturday’s game will feature a modified scoring format for the defense, which will wear white jerseys and receive points for takeaways (three points), three-and-outs (three points), sacks (two points) and forced punts (one point) in addition to any defensive touchdowns scored. Scoring for the offense, which will wear scarlet (except for the quarterbacks, who will wear black), will be traditional with six points for touchdowns, three points for field goals and one point for extra points.
The game will feature live tackling with two exceptions. The first two drives for the first-team units will be “thud” drives, on which players will not be tackled to the ground, allowing the Buckeyes to get players in the game that they want to be cautious with to avoid injuries. Quarterbacks will not be tackled at any point during the game, which means defenders will be credited with sacks just for tagging the QB behind the line of scrimmage.
The first three quarters of Saturday’s exhibition will be 12-15 minutes long with clock stoppages, but the fourth quarter will feature a 10-minute running clock. Halftime will be 10 minutes long.
What to Watch For
McCord can stake his claim as QB1
The spring game was supposed to be an opportunity for both McCord and Devin Brown to state their case for being Ohio State’s starting quarterback this year, but a finger injury on Brown’s throwing hand cut his spring short. As a result, McCord will have the stage all to himself (at least as far as contenders to start at quarterback are concerned), giving him a prime chance to solidify his standing as Ohio State’s No. 1 quarterback as spring concludes.
While Ryan Day said going into spring that he hoped to name a starting quarterback at the end of spring, it sounds less likely he will do so now, allowing the competition to resume this summer once Brown is healthy. Day said Wednesday he hasn’t seen either quarterback separate from the other yet, which is what he wants to see before naming a starter.
“One day, one guy has the upper hand; the next day, the other guy might have the upper hand,” Day said. “They know that there's things they need to work on. There's things that they've done well. I guess this is practice 13, and that's still not a ton of practices. You get double that in the preseason. So we'll keep building, keep growing and you're just never sure how these things shake out anyways.”
McCord has seemingly had a slight edge in the quarterback competition throughout the spring, though, and a strong spring game showing with Brown watching from the sidelines could allow him to begin stretching the gap. Brown’s injury will also mean plenty of playing time for Tristan Gebbia, who has been the third-string quarterback for most of the spring but will lead the second-team offense Saturday with Brown out.
“For Kyle and Tristan, great opportunity on Saturday to put it on the field,” Day said. “Because ultimately, you can say that it's the same, it's not. It's just not the same being here (at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center) and practicing in front of just a small group as opposed to being in the stadium.”
Offensive line needs to hold its own
Outside of who will start at quarterback, the biggest personnel question surrounding the Buckeyes going into the 2023 season is whether the Buckeyes will have five offensive linemen they can rely on as starters. Going into the spring game, it’s clear Ryan Day doesn’t feel great about the answer to that question, making the offensive line – particularly tackle and center – a position that will be squarely under the microscope on Saturday.
Right tackle will be a specific position to watch, as Tegra Tshabola and Zen Michalski have split first-team reps this spring and will likely continue to do so in the spring game. Josh Fryar is the frontrunner to start at left tackle while Carson Hinzman is the frontrunner to start at center, but both of them enter Saturday with something to prove too as Day isn’t yet ready to name starters at any of those three positions.
While the center competition is likely to continue into preseason camp with Hinzman, transfer addition Victor Cutler Jr. and Jakob James – who hasn’t been able to practice this spring after offseason surgery – the Buckeyes will have to decide quickly after the spring game whether they need to pursue additional transfer help at tackle, as the second transfer portal window opens Saturday. Day said how the tackles perform in the spring game could play a part in whether Ohio State ends up adding tackle help via the portal.
“We got to kind of go through and see how the game plays out, see how that looks on film, take the body of work, and then make some decisions from there,” Day said Wednesday.
It’s been a strong spring for Ohio State’s defensive line, which will look to build upon that by racking up sacks – or the spring game equivalent of sacks – on Saturday. Given the concerns with the offensive line, though, the Buckeyes will probably be happier coming out of the spring game if the defensive line doesn’t dominate the proceedings.
Defense looks to keep building momentum
There are always two sides to the coin when evaluating head-to-head matchups during spring practices, and one reason why the quarterbacks and offensive line have had their share of struggles is because of the competition they’re facing from the other side of the ball. All indications this spring have been that the Buckeyes have made strides on both the front and back ends of the defense as they look for improved performance in Jim Knowles’ second year as defensive coordinator.
Ohio State’s defensive line has been dominant in many of the practice windows that have been open to the media, and coaches have consistently praised the secondary for getting their hands on more balls this spring, with Day saying Wednesday he believes the Buckeyes have “made great strides in the secondary.”
In the first opportunity for fans to see the defense in action since the Buckeyes gave up 87 total points in their back-to-back losses to Michigan and Georgia, Ohio State’s defense will look to put those strides on display for the public.
Offensive performances tend to draw the headlines in spring games, but considering that Ohio State’s offense has consistently been one of the best in the country with Day as head coach while the Buckeyes’ defenses have held them back, it wouldn’t be a bad thing if the defense wins the day on Saturday – especially considering Ohio State will be without one of its top two quarterbacks while it will also be shorthanded at running back and wide receiver.
Big opportunity for backups at several positions
Eleven players have been designated as unavailable for Saturday’s game, and most of them are running backs, wide receivers or linebackers.
At running back, Ohio State will be without TreVeyon Henderson, Evan Pryor and TC Caffey. Miyan Williams will also be limited to playing only on the thud drives before watching from the sideline for the rest of the day. That should mean heavy workloads out of the backfield for Chip Trayanum and Dallan Hayden, who will look to make a statement that they should continue to have roles in the offense even when Henderson and Williams are healthy.
Dallan Hayden will look to cap off a strong spring by taking advantage of a heavy workload of significant reps in Saturday’s spring game.
At wide receiver, Ohio State will be without Emeka Egbuka, Julian Fleming and Xavier Johnson, while it’s probably safe to assume the Buckeyes will be cautious with Marvin Harrison Jr., too. That will open up opportunities for the rest of Ohio State’s wide receivers, ranging from redshirt sophomore Jayden Ballard to second-years Kojo Antwi, Kaleb Brown and Kyion Grayes and true freshmen Carnell Tate, Noah Rogers and Bryson Rodgers, to show what they can do as they attempt to earn playing time in a loaded unit.
Ohio State will also be without both of its starting linebackers, Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers, leaving the Buckeyes with just four healthy scholarship linebackers for the spring game: Cody Simon, C.J. Hicks, Gabe Powers and Reid Carrico. That will give all of them a chance for extended playing time as they look to convince Knowles that they should be in the rotation this year after Eichenberg and Chambers played the lion’s share of snaps at linebacker a year ago.
Most of those players haven’t had the opportunity to play many snaps for the Buckeyes yet, and those are the players Day is most looking forward to watching play on Saturday.
“Mostly the guys who probably haven't had as much game experience,” Day said. “So whether it's guys in the program that haven't quite been on the field yet, like some of the linemen; Kenyatta Jackson hasn't played a whole bunch, but had a really good spring so far. Seeing guys like (transfer cornerback Davison Igbinosun) out there who haven't played here at Ohio State before, although he's played in games before. Just kind of seeing the guys that maybe we haven't seen. Or the young guys, the freshmen who, again, you see them in practice, you have an idea of what they can do, but it'll be fun for everybody else to see it.’
Other players listed as unavailable for Saturday’s game are Brown, offensive tackle Avery Henry, defensive end/Jack linebacker Mitchell Melton and safety Kourt Williams. It would be a surprise if James or redshirt freshman wide receiver Caleb Burton plays, as James has not practiced all spring while Burton has been sidelined since the first day of spring, but neither of them is officially listed as unavailable on the rosters distributed to the media by Ohio State on Thursday – nor is safety Ja’Had Carter, who suffered a knee injury on April 1.
Info to Know
- General admission tickets for the spring game are still available on Ticketmaster for $7 each.
- Ohio State is encouraging fans attending the game to arrive early as Cannon Drive is closed between 12th Avenue and John H. Herrick Drive due to construction. All typical gameday parking lots will be open to the public and free except for the West Stadium (permit only) and North St. John Arena (ADA parking) lots.
- Chris Vosters, Joshua Perry and Brooke Fletcher will be on the call on Big Ten Network, whose live broadcast begins at noon.
- Paul Keels and Jim Lachey will call the game for 97.1 The Fan, whose broadcast will begin at 11:45 a.m.
