Ryan Day will take 'hard look' at QB situation after ESPN broadcaster reveals pre-Cotton Bowl stance

Ohio State was missing a key ingredient in its loss to Missouri in the Cotton Bowl: a capable quarterback. After the regular season ended, OSU starting QB Kyle McCord announced his decision to transfer to Syracuse.

McCord’s shocking move left Ohio State with two available QBs for the Cotton Bowl. Despite outside noise, head coach Ryan Day was confident sophomore Devin Brown would fill the hole McCord left. Unfortunately, Brown didn’t have a chance.

Early in the first half of Ohio State’s Cotton Bowl loss, Brown left the game with an injury. He was unable to return, leaving freshman quarterback Lincoln Kienholz. The former four-star quarterback wasn’t able to save the day. He completed just 6-of-17 pass attempts for 87 total yards.

After the game, ESPN’s Dusty Dvoracek evaluated Ohio State’s puzzling situation in the quarterback room.

“Obviously, Kyle McCord leaving and going to Syracuse was a bit shocking for everybody,” Dvoracek told ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt. “This staff had complete faith that Devin Brown was going to be the answer. We were told yesterday, ‘This is his program. Now, he’s got the chance to take it over.’ And maybe he still does.”

Ohio State won’t write Brown off yet. He only got six pass attempts on the night before being sidelined with an injury. He completed four of his attempts.

Trouble brewing at quarterback?

“Clearly, Lincoln Kienholz was not ready for the moment. They’re bringing in a big-time recruit in Air Noland, as well, to compete for this job. We’re told they’re not looking into the portal. They feel good about what they have in-house.

“Based off what we saw tonight. There’s gonna have to be some guys really step up and make big strides… You gotta have a quarterback, and I think, right now, for the first time in a long time, there’s real questions about that quarterback position in Columbus, Ohio.”

After the game, Day was asked about the portal, and how the team may search for a quarterback. His answer didn’t provide any additional clarity.

“I’m just fresh off the game, so it’s hard for me to process all of it right now,” Day said. “But, we’ve got to figure out what’s best for the team moving forward, and that’s in a lot of areas. We’ve got to take a hard look at that and get that figured out. Everything will be looked at.”