COLUMBUS — Ohio State has ranked inside the top 11 in scoring offense all but one year since Ryan Day joined the staff in 2017. The Buckeyes typically score early and often. Blowouts are common for them.
But every season there are games that go down to the wire.
Those games deliver unforgettable moments, many of which are centered around the signal caller.
So, as Lettermen Row “Quarterbacks Week” reaches its conclusion, we are winding back the clock and reliving the most gutsy performances from the last five Ohio State starting quarterbacks.
Kyle McCord orchestrates nail-biting, game-winning drive at Notre Dame
Kyle McCord’s signature moment as Ohio State starting quarterback took place under the lights of Notre Dame Stadium in an instant classic. Granted the game isn’t as memorable as it would have been had the Buckeyes found a way to make a national championship run like rival Michigan last year, but the top-10 showdown in South Bend remains the high point in the McCord chapter. It wasn’t his best game in an Ohio State uniform, or even close to his best actually, but it was his most clutch performance. McCord completed 11-of-15 passes on third and fourth down for 162 yards. What’s more, he converted a 3rd-and-10, 4th-and-7 and then, most notably, a 3rd-and-19 on the Buckeyes’ game-winning drive.
Often criticized by Ohio State fans for not showing emotion on the field, the seemingly always cool and collected McCord exploded with passion after running back Chip Trayanum plowed into the end zone with one second remaining on the clock. McCord sprinted to the sideline, swung off his helmet and defiantly looked out into the crowd of mostly green-clad Fighting Irish fans with confidence while being shoved lovingly by his teammates.
C.J. Stroud puts body on the line, shows out in valiant loss to Georgia in Peach Bowl CFP semifinal
The game that solidified C.J. Stroud as a top-five NFL Draft pick turned out to be an Ohio State loss. That said, the Buckeyes probably would have beaten eventual back-to-back national champion Georgia in the Peach Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal had wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. not been knocked out of the game with a concussion late in the third quarter. Stroud and Harrison connected on two improvised touchdowns in the first half, as Stroud made NFL scouts eat their words with beautiful out-of-structure throws. In that same vein, Stroud sent the message that he’s not afraid to tuck the ball and run on the biggest of stages. He put his body on the line for the Buckeyes. In fact, his 12 carries were, by far, a career high. Stroud had never rushed more than six times in a game before the CFP semifinal bout.
He gained 71 yards on the ground, but netted only 34, to go along with his 348 passing yards and 4:0 touchdown-to-interception ratio. That night, Stroud completed 6-of-7 passes that traveled 20-plus air yards, according to Pro Football Focus. And that was against a Georgia defense that came into the matchup ranked second nationally in scoring defense. Right after Harrison left the game, Ohio State took a 14-point lead into the fourth quarter, except a Bulldogs comeback saw the Buckeyes suffer a heartbreaking 42-41 defeat in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Justin Fields battles through rib injury, avenges CFP defeat to Clemson
You couldn’t ask for a better storyline: Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney ranked Ohio State outside the top 10 in his final coaches poll after the Buckeyes played only five regular season games during the COVID-19-shortened season. Still, Big Ten champion Ohio State made the CFP and found itself in a rematch with Clemson, a year removed from Buckeyes quarterback Justin Fields throwing a game-ending interception and losing a tightly-contested Fiesta Bowl CFP semifinal to the Tigers.
Fields got another crack at Clemson in 2020, this time in a Sugar Bowl CFP semifinal. It was also an opportunity for the former Elite 11 Finals MVP to duel Trevor Lawrence again. The two 2018 prospects were linked together throughout their high school careers, in part because they were playing 20 miles from each other in the suburbs of Atlanta. Fields avenged his 2019 postseason defeat to Lawrence and Clemson with a made-for-cinema performance that featured 427 total yards (385 passing, 42 rushing) and a 6:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He did that while battling through a targeting-induced rib injury that he went down with in the second quarter.
Dwayne Haskins saves the day at Michigan
The late Dwayne Haskins set Ohio State and Big Ten single-season records for for pass completions (373), passing yards (4,831) and passing touchdowns (50) in 2018, his lone season as the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback. But, before that, he played hero at Michigan, and, in the process, he gave himself a head start on becoming QB1 the following year.
J.T. Barrett had been playing through a right knee injury that year, his fifth and final season of his Buckeyes career. Except, Barrett said he re-aggravated that injury pregame in Ann Arbor. He was warming up for The Game, and someone made accidental contact with his right leg. Skip ahead to the third quarter, and Barrett grabbed his right knee after being tackled. His day was done, and Haskins’ number was called. At the time, Ohio State trailed Michigan, 20-14. Haskins led three Buckeyes scoring drives, the first of which included a 22-yard run from the normally-pocket-bound quarterback to set up a 1-yard J.K. Dobbins touchdown. Haskins, then a redshirt freshman, completed 6-of-7 passes for 94 yards, and Ohio State left The Big House with a 31-20 win, its sixth straight victory in the rivalry.
J.T. Barrett gets hot, pilots comeback victory against Penn State
A comeback performance can sometimes be summed up in one quote. That was the case during the 2017 season when Barrett dug the Buckeyes out of a 15-point, fourth-quarter hole against Penn State.
“I’ve never had a kid play perfect, but damn he was close tonight,” then-head coach Urban Meyer said.
Barrett put up video game numbers in the final frame, completing all 13 of his pass attempts for 170 yards and three touchdowns, the last one came with 1:48 remaining. Ohio Stadium went nuts after Barrett rocketed a 16-yard pass to tight end Marcus Baugh. Barrett is the Buckeyes’ all-time leader in in pass attempts (1,211), pass completions (769), passing yards (9,434), passing touchdowns (104), 200-yard passing games (24), total offense (12,697 total yards) and total wins (38).
He delivered his best performance versus the Nittany Lions in his fifth season. Barrett clocked out 33-of-39 for 328 yards and four touchdown throws, nto to mention his 95 rushing yards on 17 carries.
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