(AP) — Kyle McCord threw for three touchdowns and 318 yards, and No. 5 Ohio State used a 35-point second quarter to rout Western Kentucky 63-10 at Ohio Stadium on Saturday.
McCord’s 75-yard TD pass to Marvin Harrison Jr. on the first play from scrimmage after Western Kentucky had pulled to within four points gave the Buckeyes (3-0) a 21-10 lead, and Chip Trayanum ran for a 40-yard score on the first play of their next series to make it 28-10.
The last time OSU scored five TDs in a quarter was Sept. 21, 2013, vs. Florida A&M.
TreVeyon Henderson ran for 88 yards, and his touchdowns of 21 and 10 yards put the Buckeyes ahead 14-3 nearly five minutes into the second quarter against the Hilltoppers (2-1), but Austin Reed tossed a 2-yard TD to Malachi Corley to pull to within 14-10 before the Ohio State onslaught.
Harrison had four of his five catches and 118 of his 126 yards in the first half.
The Buckeyes’ secondary got their first test of the season going against Reed, the FBS active career leader in passing yards per game (333.4) and total yards per game (350.0).
Reed, who threw for 589 yards and six TDs in his first two games, was 21 for 37 for 207 yards with the TD and an interception before being pulled in the fourth quarter.
Coach Ryan Day officially named McCord the starter over Devin Brown on Tuesday after the two shared snaps in the first two games. McCord played eight of the first nine possessions against Indiana in the opener and six of the first seven drives vs. Youngstown State on Sept. 9.
Brown took over with 1:00 left in the third quarter and threw a 28-yard-yard touchdown to Carnell Tate for a 56-10 score.
UP NEXT
Western Kentucky: Plays at Troy on Saturday afternoon.
Ohio State: Faces No. 9 Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, in a Saturday night prime-time game.
