Star 3-technique defensive tackle Tyleik Williams had just left the game as Penn State roared forward to Ohio State’s 3-yard line.
Failing to break through the goal line on back-to-back plunges, the Nittany Lions turned once more to running back Kaytron Allen on 3rd-and-goal at the 2-yard line. But on the field for just his ninth snap of the day, Kayden McDonald gave Ohio State an answer to Allen’s surge.
Head-up on Penn State center Nick Dawkins, McDonald burst from the line of scrimmage and pushed the snapper back into the lap of a second offensive lineman, Olaivavega Ioane, who lined up outside and motioned across the formation as an extra puller on the play. Allen reset his feet, but McDonald grabbed his ankle as the rest of the Silver Bullets swarmed.
Safeties Lathan Ransom and Caleb Downs busted up the ensuing 4th-and-goal pass play to force a turnover on downs and Ohio State’s offense bled out the final 5:13 of the clock to secure a 20-13 win.
“Surreal moment,” McDonald said. “Like, it gives me chills – a small-town kid coming in to make a play. But it started with my teammates, us all coming together on the goal line. I had Ty (Hamilton), I had Hero (Kanu) in there with me, JT (Tuimoloau), Jack (Sawyer), all of us. It took all of us for me to make that play.”
McDonald’s always brought a distinct skill set to the defensive tackle position and is the first DT off the bench for Ohio State in 2024. But when he produces in a clutch moment as he did on Saturday, it starts to beckon for further game reps.
“K-Mac really stepped up for us, and we're hoping that he can continue to give us more and more snaps,” Ryan Day said on Tuesday. “But great to see him with the game on the line. I think it was the third down play where he really got a lot of movement on the center, and that made a huge difference on that play, especially, but he was in there for all those plays two weeks in a row. Two weeks in a row, so big spot for him to step up in. So we're going to continue to try to find ways to get him on the field.”
There simply aren’t many humans built like McDonald, who packs 326 pounds onto a 6-foot-3 frame. That raw size is combined with an explosive first step, and his production relative to his snap count speaks volumes.
Despite playing just 107 snaps this season, McDonald already has 11 tackles with one tackle for loss. That’s one tackle every 9.7 plays he’s on the field. Ohio State’s starting nose guard Ty Hamilton is having a great year, but with 28 tackles in 309 snaps, he’s only collecting one takedown per 11 snaps.
It speaks to the attacking nature McDonald plays with. Line him up over a center and he’s got a good chance to maul that man, set a new line of scrimmage and create havoc in the backfield.
“Every Tuesday during inside run drill, he gets me a couple of times,” Ohio State center Seth McLaughlin said. “That kid's a freak on the inside, and when he just lines up and he gets to run forward and run through somebody's face, he's going to do really, really well. So I'm happy to see it happen to other people and not just me.”
“That kid’s a freak on the inside.”– Seth McLaughlin on Kayden McDonald
That aspect of defensive line play has always appealed to McDonald. He’s an ever-smiling off-field personality but between the sidelines, he’s determined to overpower each offensive lineman he sees.
“This is what I do,” McDonald said. “I enjoy playing football, the pride in pushing somebody back against their own will. Coach Johnson preaches that for us. If you do that, good things will work out for you.”
McDonald’s not hopping on a microphone with gripes about his playing time, either. He’s grateful to be contributing to a highly-touted defensive line rotation, even if his highest snap count in Ohio State’s last four games is 11.
“This is historic,” McDonald said. “This is once in a lifetime, you know, having all the guys come back, always just being happy, having a smile on your face. It's a blessing to be here every day.”
That attitude of gratitude pays dividends when opportunities do come. McDonald’s credited with nine stops in 58 run defense snaps, a stop rate of 16.1% that is second behind defensive end Mitchell Melton’s 18.2% on the defensive line.
“It's all about the opportunity, having guys like Tyleik and Ty pushing me every day, having me ready for the moment,” McDonald said. “I think that's why it's starting to show more every day.”
If McDonald keeps making plays like his 3rd-and-goal shove at Penn State, Ohio State would be advised to give him more of those opportunities.
"He's a guy that, particularly when you put him in those situations where he's just like head up the center and his job is to just knock that guy back, I think he's showing to have the ability to really change the game and change the line of scrimmage," Knowles said. "Definitely a guy who's earning himself more playing time."
