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Ohio State escaped from Minnesota with a 45-31 victory over the Golden Gophers in its season opener, and new Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud had a rocky first half that had the Buckeyes trailing 14-10 at the break.
But Stroud bounced back in a big way amid a hostile environment, massive expectations and from being personally rattled. Head coach Ryan Day continued to count on his redshirt freshman signal-caller to do the right thing, and did he ever from there on out.
Thanks to four second-half touchdown throws, Stroud got off the hook, and escaped unbearable criticism for the time being.
Although his status in the Heisman Watch took a slight hit, that doesn’t mean Stroud should go right to the bench following his first bout with adversity. The Buckeyes don’t need to shake things up at their most important position, especially as they prepare to host 11th-ranked Oregon in Week 2.
C.J. Stroud scrapped to win the QB job in the first place
Unclear what most were expecting from Stroud out of the gates. Yes, the standard of QB play is high in Columbus, but being the encore act for first-round pick Justin Fields is no easy feat. Sitting behind Fields and learning from him had to help, yet Stroud wasn’t guaranteed anything coming into 2021.
In the first place, Stroud had to compete from spring practices through the summer to solidify his status atop the depth chart ahead of Jack Miller and a gifted true freshman in Kyle McCord. Stroud earned the job, but the reality was, he’d never thrown a single pass on the NCAA gridiron before Thursday night.
Some combination of nerves, adrenaline and, well, fans coming back in full force at Minnesota’s Huntington Bank Stadium did Stroud no favors. The Buckeyes, as always, are viewed as a huge favorite to emerge from the Big Ten as the conference’s College Football Playoff representative.
For Ohio State to make it back to the CFP, Stroud must play at a high level. He can’t stumble. That’s hard, considering he also aspires to be part of a legacy of phenomenally productive Buckeye passers even prior to Fields, such as Braxton Miller, JT Barrett, Cardale Jones and Dwayne Haskins.
That’s a tough spot for someone who was named the starter mere weeks before the season kicked off. Bailing on Stroud after his lengthy audition off one game is an overreaction to say the least.
C.J. Stroud is a work in progress, but Ohio State can afford for him to be
- C.J. Stroud stats (@ Minnesota, Week 1): 13-of-22 passing attempts (59%), 294 yards, 4 touchdowns, 1 interception; 3 carries, 13 yards
Pro Football Focus had some advanced data at the ready to pounce on Stroud, as he’s already fallen short of Fields in one notable statistical category:
Look, Stroud’s first half was bad, but it was also the first time he’d started a game in two years. It was his first taste of even being a part of college football around fans — and they were unfriendly ones at that.
The good news about Stroud and the fact that he’s still maybe a little raw is the fact that the Buckeyes as loaded as can be on offense.
In Week 1, we saw the depth and dynamic playmaking ability from Ohio State’s backfield on full display. True freshman TreVeyon Henderson took a Stroud swing pass 70 yards to the house. Seventy. Another frosh ball-carrier, Miyan Williams, needed only nine carries to reach 125 yards, and he scored a 72-yard run of his own.
We haven’t even gotten to arguably the best wide receiver tandem in the country in Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson yet.
Olave hauled in four receptions for 117 yards and two scores, while Wilson had five catches for 80 yards and a TD. They’re both phenomenal route-runners, with great ball skills and plenty of wiggle after the catch. All Stroud really has to do is work on ball placement and varying his velocity.
As much help as Stroud had once his pass-catchers hauled the ball in, just look at the first possession of the third quarter, on Stroud’s first career TD pass to Olave. The ball placement here is exceptional:
Buckeyes fans have an embarrassment of riches even more so this year than most.
Instead of a creating a QB controversy just yet — and Day is a smart enough coach to adhere to this strategy, this is more a reassuring statement to Buckeye nation — let’s see how Stroud fares with some home cooking at The Shoe.
If Oregon shows up next Saturday and blows Stroud and the Buckeyes off the field, then sure, spark that debate for who should be Ohio State’s QB1.
Until then, Stroud showed, in a conference game, against a quality opponent laden with experienced players, that he has the poise, resilience, and competence to weather a storm on the field, and deliver the goods.
Considering he stands to grow exponentially as a player once he has more snaps under his belt, the Buckeyes should actually be quite pleased with Stroud’s performance overall — even if his numbers weren’t as pretty as they could’ve been.
Click here for our list of the top 10 college football quarterbacks