The Cotton Bowl kicks off on Friday night after what has been one of the strangest lead ups to an Ohio State bowl game in recent memory, with double digit entries to the portal – including starting quarterback Kyle McCord – and opt outs clouding the build up in Arlington, Texas.
But, when the Buckeyes take the field against Missouri, all of that noise will be behind them, and two key goals will remain for Ohio State and head coach Ryan Day: win the game, and see younger players take advantage of the opportunity in front of them.
“We want to win the game,” Day said on Thursday. “That’s the number one thing. We are going to go in and do everything we possibly can to win the game and then go from there. … But there are going to be some opportunities for guys to take on new roles in this game, different than it has been this season. So excited for them, and we’ve seen that before.
You think about the Rose Bowl a couple of years ago where Marvin (Harrison Jr.) and (Emeka Egbuka) went into the game and did a great job that freshman year, and it really built momentum into the offseason for them. … I think guys are going to play, and we’re going to win the game. That’s the number one thing. But at the same time, an opportunity for some younger guys to get in there and build some momentum for the future.”
At the forefront of that movement will be quarterback Devin Brown, who will make his first career start in place of McCord, who has since transferred to Syracuse. While Day said the direction of Ohio State’s quarterback room won’t be impacted by the results of the Cotton Bowl, he said it does give Brown a chance to cement himself heading into next season.
“I know that everybody in this game has got an opportunity to build some momentum for next year, and Devin’s exactly in that situation,” Day said. “This is exactly what he wanted. He wanted this opportunity, and so he’s taken it and run the last few weeks. … And I think the guys on the team feel it. They feel his presence out there, so what a great opportunity for him to do that.
“Once the season is over, we’ll figure out where we’re at with everything. But as of right now, he’s our quarterback and we’re moving forward. This is a great opportunity for him to go build more confidence with the guys around him as we head into next season.”
