Snap Judgments as Buckeyes crush Akron in final warmup before Big Ten play

COLUMBUS — Normalcy returned for Ohio State.

For the most part, anyway.

The Buckeyes racked up an easy victory against an overmatched opponent. Both the offense and defense had plenty of encouraging moments that looked like what the program expects. And there was even another huge crowd back in the Horseshoe.

Ohio State is supposed to blow out Akron, so from that perspective the 59-7 beatdown on Saturday night might not qualify as a big deal. But the Buckeyes needed confidence and reps, and they got both against the Zips.

Of course, that was also balanced out by a senior linebacker quitting the team. There was an early touchdown drive given up that was sure to cause a little hand-wringing for a defense that has struggled so far this year. And while the good far outweighed the bad for Kyle McCord in his debut, there will still be lingering questions into next week about the quarterback position as Ohio State waits to see how healthy the shoulder of C.J. Stroud is moving forward.

But the Buckeyes will take an easy win any day, and that’s exactly what it got against Akron.

Bottom line: Regardless of the opponent, Ohio State is showing signs of growth and starting to regain a little swagger just in time for Big Ten play — but that’s the real test.

That’s where the Snap Judgments begin at Lettermen Row as Ohio State claimed another win as it tries to get momentum rolling for a trip to Rutgers.

Kyle McCord shakes off nerves, turns in productive Ohio State debut

The Buckeyes knew they were going to see growing pains — again. That simply comes with the territory with first-time starting quarterbacks, and it wasn’t a surprise to Ohio State since it had just seen that same scenario three weeks ago in the opener. But with C.J. Stroud sidelined with a sore shoulder, Kyle McCord got his turn to make a debut — and the results were predictably mixed. McCord was clearly nervous early, throwing high and occasionally looking a little unsure with his decision making. But the Buckeyes settled him down with some pop passes, he found a little chemistry with Jaxon Smith-Njigba and gave the attack just about all it could have asked for behind center. Ohio State is probably unlikely to make a change at the top of the depth chart if Stroud is healthy next week. But it has more to think about with McCord now, and he should only get better with a start under his belt.

Haskell Garrett takes charge of Buckeyes pass rush

The opponent was overmatched from the start, and an All-American defensive lineman always should be able to stuff the stats sheet in these nonconference warmups. But considering how much Ohio State has struggled to generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks, Haskell Garrett going full wrecking ball was the kind of outing the Rushmen needed to see. He wasn’t working alone, of course, but his three sacks in the first half were exactly the kind of plays that fueled his remarkable rise a year ago. It was even more significant since Ohio State was playing without three other regulars in the rotation, and Garrett showed why he was a captain by picking up the slack.

Ohio State will face culture questions after K’Vaughan Pope outburst

The youth movement gave Ohio State plenty of feel-good moments to build on. But turning the young Buckeyes loose also comes at the expense of veterans, and that dynamic boiled over with a wild outburst from K’Vaughan Pope in the second quarter. The senior linebacker appeared to be quitting on the Buckeyes in the middle of the game, then essentially sealed the end of his career by posting a profane message on social media. Ohio State has long touted the strength of its brotherhood, and a tight-knit culture has been key to the success of the program for the four-time defending Big Ten champs. But there have been possible cracks in the foundation with a couple players skipping Carmen Ohio after the Oregon loss, Dallas Gant entering the transfer portal in the middle of the week and then Pope’s public meltdown — and Ryan Day may need to find out if there are underlying issues.