Kyle McCord steps up in clutch in Ohio State football's comeback win at Notre Dame

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — In the closing moments of Ohio State’s thrilling comeback at Notre Dame on Saturday, Kyle McCord needed to connect on one more throw.

The Buckeyes were facing a third-and-19 deep in the Irish’s territory when McCord looked to Emeka Egbuka in a crowd of defenders.

Egbuka had found an opening in the zone as they ran a route concept that gave him the freedom to pick out his spot in the soft coverage.

“We repped it a ton in practice,” McCord said, “so I knew it like the back of my hand.”

It left Egbuka positioned just shy of the end zone as the pass from McCord arrived.

“At that point, you’re just playing backyard football,” McCord said, “giving your guy a chance to make a big play.”

As Egbuka secured the ball, he was brought down at Notre Dame’s 1-yard line, setting up Chip Trayanum's game-winning goal line touchdown run at the final second.

Ohio State football: Last-second TD for win over Notre Dame changes season, narrative for Ohio State

Kyle McCord proves himself as Ohio State football quarterback during game vs. Notre Dame

Making only his fifth career start in a quarterback duel with one of the most experienced passers in the nation, McCord proved himself at Notre Dame Stadium, stepping up in the clutch. In his biggest moment, he led the Buckeyes 65 yards in 85 seconds to pull ahead for their 17-14 victory.

“To win the game in a two-minute drill, that’s what great quarterbacks do,” coach Ryan Day said. “For his first top-10 road game, to be put in that situation, says a lot about his future. There were some big-time throws. Hung in there. He’s poised.”

McCord’s 21-yard completion to Egbuka capped off a series of them on critical downs on Ohio State’s game-winning drive.

It was on third-and-10 at the onset of the series when he zipped a pass to Egbuka over the middle for a 23-yard gain that pushed the Buckeyes past midfield and rejuvenated them his first two passes of the possession fell incomplete.

On fourth-and-7 at Notre Dame’s 39-yard line, he found Julian Fleming running a drag route that gave them enough to move the chains.

“We’re never out of it until there’s no time left on the clock,” McCord said. “As long as we've got the ball, got some time left, the sky is the limit for this offense.”

McCord seemed to elevate his passing when the Buckeyes’ drives were most at stake. Nearly half of his 21 completions were on third downs, where he was 10-of-13 passing for 155 yards compared to 11 of 24 for 85 yards on other downs.

“He made some nice throws on first and second down,” Day said, “but he played his best ball on third down.”

Ohio State RB Chip Trayanum on McCord: 'Kyle knows the whole team rallies around him'

The effort further solidifies McCord as the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback only two weeks after he had not yet pulled away from Devin Brown in a quarterback competition that had extended into the season.

When asked if McCord had answered any doubts about his status as the starter, running back Chip Trayanum nodded.

“Hell yeah, they were answered tonight,” he said.

Trayanum’s sharp reply drew immediate laughs from a room of reporters.

“Kyle’s a dog,” he said. “Kyle knows the whole team rallies around him.”

For McCord, to engineer the late rally, it felt gratifying and an early breakthrough for the junior.

“We’re down four points with a chance to go win it at the end,” McCord said. “Historic stadium. Great environment. Great defense. You can’t draw it up any better than that to come away with a win. It wasn’t perfect, a lot to grow on, but it feels really, really good.”

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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: Kyle McCord delivers in clutch in Ohio State win at Notre Dame