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Kyle McCord, in his first game as the permanent starter, threw three first-half touchdowns as No. 6 Ohio State pulled away from visiting Western Kentucky for a 63-10 win in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday.

His 75-yard TD to Marvin Harrison Jr. helped ignite a 35-point second quarter for the Buckeyes (3-0).

McCord finished 19-for-23 for 318 yards in his fourth career start. He started one game in 2021 as a freshman when C.J. Stroud was injured.

Harrison made five catches for 126 yards and a score.

After the Hilltoppers (2-1) pulled to within 14-10, the career-long catch by Harrison made it 21-10 and a Chip Trayanum 40-yard run in the next series extended the lead to 28-10 with 4:30 remaining in the half. Emeka Egbuka added 15- and 14-yard TD catches, the latter with eight seconds left before halftime.

The Buckeyes scored five TDs in a quarter for the first time since Sept. 21, 2013, against Florida A&M.

McCord earned the start over Devin Brown for the first two games but it wasn’t until Tuesday that coach Ryan Day officially named him the starter.

McCord was 13 of 15 for 271 yards, three touchdowns and a fumble lost in the first half against Western Kentucky.

With a showdown at No. 9 Notre Dame next week, the Buckeyes got a taste of what they will see in quarterback Sam Hartman, the FBS active career leader in touchdown passes (123).

Western Kentucky’s Austin Reed led the nation in passing yards last season. His 2-yard pass to Malachi Corley early in the second quarter made it 14-10 but the game quickly got away from the Hilltoppers.

Reed finished 21 of 37 for 207 yards, a TD and an interception.

TreVeyon Henderson rushed for 88 yards on 13 carries and his scoring runs of 21 and 7 yards gave the Buckeyes the early 14-3 lead.

–Field Level Media