Ohio State football mailbag: Will QB Devin Brown see more snaps against Youngstown State?

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The Buckeyes' offense, which totaled its fewest points against Indiana in three decades in the season-opening 23-3 win over the Hoosiers on Saturday, seemed to be on everyone’s mind. Nearly all of the questions that landed in our Subtext inbox related to that side of the ball.

With a quarterback competition that remains a little unsettled shifting into Week 2 and concerns about a rebuilt offensive line persisting, there was a bit to discuss. So let’s get into it.

Is there a chance they give Brown more of a run next week?

Devin Brown, the redshirt freshman quarterback who is in a battle with junior Kyle McCord, did not see a bunch of meaningful snaps at Indiana as had been expected. He rotated in for McCord midway through the second quarter and promptly handed off twice to Miyan Williams. To move the chains, Brown ran on his own on third down, but Western Michigan transfer Andre Carter blew up the play, slipping past left tackle Josh Simmons and dropping Brown for a loss of 3 yards. We didn’t see Brown again until he returned for mop-up duty.

So, yes, Brown will get more of a run against Youngstown State, because his total of six snaps makes up such a low a bar to clear. But Saturday also presents a more likely scenario for the Buckeyes to alternate quarterbacks. By facing a team from the Football Championship Subdivision, they shouldn’t be in a one-score game in the first half like they were in their opener.

Day’s rationale for sticking with McCord against the Hoosiers made sense. The offense had trouble finding its way in the early goings. The score remained tight. For as much as he might have preferred splitting series between the passers, inserting Brown on a more frequent basis would have added another variable. The sense I get is that Brown will get in more often this week if the Buckeyes get ahead in more convincing fashion. The more lopsided the game turns, the more rotation to expect.

McCord. Decent numbers for 1st game. Curious on experience/effectiveness of his offensive line versus Haskins, Fields and Stroud line.

For all the uncertainty about the Buckeyes’ offensive line, it was a group that was serviceable in pass protection in Week 1. McCord was not sacked, and according to Pro Football Focus he was under pressure on only eight of 34 drop-backs, less than a quarter of the time.

That largely mirrors the type of rush that C.J. Stroud, Justin Fields and Dwayne Haskins Jr. all faced when they were behind center for Ohio State. Here’s their PFF data:

• Stroud: 23.6% over 2022 and 2021

• Fields: 31.5% over 2020 and 2019

• Haskins: 24% in 2018

The percentage is likely higher for Fields due to his willingness to hang on for longer in the pocket and extend plays in search of something to develop more downfield. I don’t see the numbers as an indictment of his line.

What are the odds that we see Chip Trayanum usurp Henderson in the starting lineup?

When TreVeyon Henderson has been healthy, he’s largely been the Buckeyes’ starting back, and it wasn’t a surprise to see him get the first carries at Indiana. The staff raved all offseason about his recovery from foot surgery. To my eyes, he looked quick in the two preseason practices that media members attended.

That’s all to say that it would take more than a game for Henderson to be dislodged from the front of the Buckeyes’ backfield rotation, even considering that Trayanum’s 7.1 yards-per-carry average almost doubled Henderson’s mark of 3.9 in the opener.

No doubt, Trayanum is an intriguing piece to watch moving forward, considering his athleticism and versatility. Since he transferred from Arizona State last year, he's been at both running back and linebacker and lines up everywhere on special teams from kickoff coverage to punt return. He was even positioned as a fullback out of an I-formation on Saturday. But don’t call him a fullback. Day this week referred to him as “just a big running back.” That makes me wonder if we’re more likely to see him usurp Miyan Williams as the primary No. 2 as another bruising back to complement Henderson.

What does the Buckeyes' offensive line really need to accomplish over the next two games to be ready for Notre Dame? Is it simply getting more experience, or is there a greater need − or perhaps both?

Experience always helps. The next two weekends offer time to jell before the trip to South Bend. This is an offensive line that needs to pick up its blocking assignments on a more frequent basis, an issue that was most glaring when the Buckeyes were looking to run the ball at Indiana. It was a relatively frequent occurrence for handoffs to be snuffed out at the line of scrimmage or in the backfield with a defensive lineman or linebacker going free. Eight of Ohio State’s 31 rush attempts resulted in no gain or a loss of yards. Those stuffed runs cripple an offense. They set a unit back early in drives, resulting in more second-and-longs. They can also end a series prematurely on third down.

What do we need to do offensively to get the ball in the hands of Harrison and Egbuka more?

It was a quiet opening weekend for Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka as they combined for five catches for 34 yards. Harrison’s two receptions were his fewest since he was a freshman in 2021.

The limited production was not a result of a lack of effort from the Buckeyes. Harrison was targeted eight times. Egbuka was targeted four times. They had trouble connecting. Consider one factor the Hoosiers’ coverage of Harrison as they blanketed him with a safety, but his stat line also looks different if a few of McCord’s throws come in on target. He gets the ball in his hands.

One such instance was on a first-and-goal early in the third quarter. Harrison lined up in the slot, crossed over the middle of the field and was a step past cornerback Kobee Minor, but the pass needed more a little air and arrived just behind Harrison, allowing Minor to knock the ball down. If it hits Harrison in stride, it’s a touchdown.

Another missed opportunity came earlier in the drive, as Gary Danielson, the former Purdue quarterback and longtime analyst, pointed out on CBS' telecast. On a second-and-9, McCord dumped down to Julian Fleming while Harrison was streaking down the seam and slipping past coverage. I wonder if he was feeling the rush. A defensive end was pushing Simmons aside and nearing him in the pocket, but Danielson thought he had enough time to stay with Harrison.

“C.J. Stroud would make that play," Danielson said, "but maybe not as a freshman.”

Who is up in the booth for the offense?

Quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis and tight ends coach Keenan Bailey were up in the press box in Bloomington, a setup that was a bit different from last season. When Kevin Wilson was the Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator, he was stationed in the booth along with Dennis. But Brian Hartline, the wide receivers coach who replaced Wilson as coordinator in January, has continued coaching from the sideline with Bailey the one to move upstairs.

Running backs coach Tony Alford, offensive line coach Justin Frye and Hartline are the most experienced offensive assistants and have additional titles, but Day’s preference is for them to be on the sideline with their larger position groups. He said Dennis and Bailey, along with graduate assistant Mike Sollenne, could “give us the information we need.”

“It’s important to be around your players and get around them and make sure the substitution patterns are right and adjusting in game,” Day said. “If we feel like we’re not getting enough information, then we’ll make an adjustment.

Is a serviceable/pedestrian QB, one who plays reasonably well, manages the game and doesn't turn the ball over, enough to achieve OSU's goals this year? With all the surrounding talent, I think a "game manager QB" might be enough.

Maybe. A popular Day-ism for his quarterbacks is making the routine plays routinely. It was a phrase uttered quite a bit in preseason camp with McCord and Brown under close scrutiny and speaks a little to this idea. Day wants a signal caller who is consistent, a passer who distributes the ball to skill talent without a hitch. Does Ohio State need a superhuman at quarterback? Probably not.

But national title contenders need more than game managers at quarterbacks to prevail in the era of the College Football Playoff. All but one champion since 2015 has had a starting quarterback who would be taken on Day 1 or Day 2 of the NFL draft. The exception was Georgia’s Stetson Bennett, a fourth-round selection this past spring. The challenge of the playoff compared to the BCS is having to win an additional postseason game against a highly ranked opponent, and in these matchups, higher-level play at quarterbacks is a separating factor.

As far as Ohio State’s other goals, from winning the Big Ten or avenging the recent losses to Michigan, the bar for the quarterback is perhaps not as high. J.J. McCarthy and Cade McNamara were second or third-team all-conference quarterbacks in the past seasons. The Big Ten is more often settled in the trenches.

For the record, the recruiting pedigrees for McCord and Brown were too high to expect them to be game managers, but it's worth looking at the standard for their position.

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Follow him on Facebook and X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. He can also be contacted at jkaufman@dispatch.com.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football mailbag addresses quarterbacks, offensive line