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Ohio State football held their annual spring game on Saturday. This game was supposed to be the game to decide the quarterback battle. But the week of, it was revealed that one of the quarterbacks, Devin Brown, could not participate due to a hand injury and needing a procedure on it. Other than that, a lot of Ohio State players showed out for the 75,000-plus Buckeye fans in attendance.
Kyle McCord: McCord threw for 184 yards on 18-of-34 passing and one touchdown. A lot of people overreacted on the first couple of drives, as McCord didn’t look perfect. But one thing to remember is, this is a spring game, and they aren’t going to pull all of their tricks out in a spring game. McCord will more than likely have the starting job to begin the season, but if Brown can find a way to get healthy, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him attempt to make a fight for it.
Chip Trayanum: Trayanum had 110 yards on the ground, with a big help from his huge 65-yard touchdown run he broke off to start the scoring for the Scarlet team. He was the leading rusher as well.
Chase Brecht: Now Chase Brecht may not be a name you’ve heard before, but it’s a name that was called a lot in the 2023 spring game. Brecht is just one running back in the very much crowded running back room at Ohio State, but he’s making his case for some playing time. Not only did Brecht break off a couple of big runs, he was making defenders miss, finding all the open gaps, and running through everyone on the defensive side. Brecht got a lot of reps at the running back spot after Dallas Hayden and Miyan Williams’ days were done.
Noah Rogers: Rogers was the leading receiver on Saturday with 64 yards and a 57-yard touchdown catch and run. This is just one of the many young receivers that Ohio State has on their depth chart and from the looks of it, Rogers’ black stripe should be gone in no time.
Carnell Tate: Speaking of young and explosive wide receivers, Carnell Tate out of IMG Academy lost his black stripe in just five practices, and it was shown why on Saturday. Tate caught a 37-yard touchdown pass from McCord, and if you’re a Buckeye fan, McCord to Tate may become a common saying you hear every Saturday.
Gabe Powers: Gabe Powers was the leading tackler for the Gray team (defense) with a total of eight tackles. The defense for Ohio State has been the downfall to them and having a presence like Powers, someone who is all over the field wanting to make those tackles, will be huge for them.
Denzel Burke: Burke was one of the main focuses of improvement on the defense in this offseason. The Ohio State coaching staff wanted him to get in the way of more throws, whether that be interceptions or just deflections. Well, on the first drive of the game, he deflected a ball on third down to force a three-and-out. Burke continued this success throughout the game with great coverage and many more broken up passes.
Defensive Line: It’s so tough to just pick one player because everyone from Jack Sawyer, to JT Tuimoloau, to Tyleik Williams, and a couple more were getting after the quarterback anyway they could. Now some may say this is just because the offensive line wasn’t great, but that’s not the full truth. Yes, the offensive line didn’t look amazing, but the line showed their talents well. The defensive line was getting to the quarterback play and play again, using just pure strength to power through and quickness to get around.
The Gray team (defense) defeated the Scarlet (offense) with a score of 40-31 in the Ohio State 2023 annual spring game. There were a lot of overreactions, numerous star players, and a lot to be excited about for Buckeye fans. But now it’s back to sitting around and waiting for Ohio State fans until September 2, 2023, when the Ohio State Buckeyes travel to Bloomington, Indiana for their first game of the 2023-2024 season against the Indiana Hoosiers.
