Presser Bullets: Ryan Day Feels Kyle McCord and Ohio State Offense Played "Pretty Efficient," Continues to Like What He Sees From Defense

The Buckeyes' lone FCS opponent of the season is behind them.

Kyle McCord showed more confidence, completing 70 percent of his passes for 258 yards in one half and one drive of football, while the defense responded to a Youngstown State touchdown drive on its first possession to shut out the Penguins the rest of the way and win 35-7.

Following the contest, Ryan Day spoke to the Ohio State media on his team's performance, how Kyle McCord looked and the continued high level of play of the defense.

Here's what Day had to say:

On the quarterbacks: "Kyle had poise coming into his second game, you could just feel it. ... I thought Kyle came out pretty efficiently overall, but Devin made some plays as well."
Day said that Ohio State's coaching staff will look at film over the weekend and determine if McCord is the team's starter going forward.
Day added that McCord was "smart" on third down, and made some impressive throws that the coach liked to see.
McCord's ability to see and process defenses is improving with experience, Day said, just as C.J. Stroud and Justin Fields' did: "The more you play, the better you see it. ... I don't know think we'll know the answer to that until we get a few more games in. ... Find the speed of the game. If you're too slow, not good. If you're too fast, not good. We tried to get both guys into a rhythm early on."
Youngstown State "created a level of anxiety" for the coaching staff in that it limited Ohio State to nine possessions, Day said. The Penguins were making use of the full playclock and running the ball often. Overall, he enjoyed the defense's performance, but still feels there were times the unit could have gotten off the field.
On Marvin Harrison Jr.'s increased production: "To see him get those two big plays early, that was a deep breath. ... We targeted him a bunch, we targeted Emeka (Egbuka) a bunch." Added that one of Harrison's touchdown was on a play that wasn't even designed for him, but he popped free and McCord found him.
Ohio State's offense was "more efficient" as a whole against Youngstown State, Day still wants to see better offensive line play and continued improvement in execution.
The fact that Notre Dame is on the horizon may put more pressure on the coaching staff to have a quarterback solidified going into next week, Day said.
Day wants to get TreVeyon Henderson more touches, but felt he had a strong performance Saturday. "I really wanted to try to get TreVeyon the ball. ... We've got to keep trying to find ways to get him the ball. Running the ball, but also out in space. ... He was running downhill today when he had an opportunity to do it, that was a great step."
On the offensive line: "We have urgency, we want (improvement) now. We're not going to wait around until next week, we can do it now. ... It's just about consistency. We can do it. I know we have the talent." Day added that it will be about effort and execution from the group.

Kyle McCord also addressed the media from the podium after Saturday’s game. A recap of what he had to say:

Asked if he did enough to win the starting job Saturday, he said that’s a question for Day and he’s focusing on making the most of his opportunities.
McCord said the Buckeyes were “spotty” in Week 1 but he felt like they got into a better rhythm in Week 2. “As long as we can continue to build that, I think we’ll be in a good spot.”
McCord said it was “cool” to finally throw his touchdown to Marvin Harrison Jr. in college after playing with him in high school. Throwing a touchdown to Harrison on the first drive was “a really good momentum boost,” McCord thought.
On fewer possessions due to the new clock rules: “I think that has been bigger to the game than most of us realized.”
McCord thought getting into the flow of a normal week this week as opposed to the season opener helped him stay calmer this week.
On Devin Brown’s performance: “I think Devin played well.” He noted that it was Brown’s first opportunity to play extended snaps as Ohio State’s quarterback.
McCord said he thinks TreVeyon Henderson has the explosiveness back that “maybe he didn’t have last year ... A healthy TreVeyon Henderson is scary.”
McCord thought he “did a good job of getting the ball out in time” on Saturday, but said what he wishes he could have back is the throw he missed to Harrison in the third quarter.