Kyle McCord relishes playing against his father's alma mater when Ohio State plays Rutgers

Derek McCord says he will "bleed scarlet" on Saturday. It just won't be the shade representing the school for which he once played.

McCord, the father of Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord, played that same position for Rutgers in the early 1990s. Derek met his wife, Stacy, while a student there. The McCords live in Mount Laurel, an hour from campus.

“If I never went to Rutgers, there would never be a Kyle McCord because I never would have met his mom,” he said.

But blood is thicker than alma mater, so he has no divided loyalty on Saturday when No. 1 Ohio State (8-0) plays Rutgers (6-2) in Piscataway, New Jersey.

“I root for Rutgers any day of the week except when they play Ohio State,” Derek said. “I wish Rutgers finishes second in the Big Ten every year. I still bleed scarlet when they’re not playing Ohio State.”

It’s just that this week, he said, he’ll be bleeding scarlet and gray.

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This is Ohio State’s second trip to Rutgers since McCord became a Buckeye two years ago. In 2021, McCord was C.J. Stroud’s backup and played in mop-up time during that 52-13 Buckeye rout.

“It was fun two years ago,” Derek said. “It's going to be even more so this year.”

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The same applies to Kyle.

“That was the team I grew up cheering for and going to their games,” he said. “To kind of see it all come full circle, especially playing at Rutgers, it's going to be fun. A bunch of family and friends will be there. It's pretty cool.”

Derek said he bought 85 tickets to the game. Another 50 or so friends and families will also attend. The McCords have a big tailgate planned before kickoff.

“I've gotten reconnected with a lot of old teammates and friends in the area, high school friends that are coming to the game who I haven't seen in 30 years,” Derek said. “I’m really looking forward to a great day. Hopefully, Kyle can go out there and play well and lead the Bucks to a victory to cap it off.”

In last week’s win at Wisconsin, Kyle McCord aggravated an ankle sprain he suffered against Notre Dame.

“I banged it up a little bit Saturday, but we’re at that point in the year when no one’s quite 100%,” he said. “I could continue playing on it and then we got back, and I got some treatment on it so it’s feeling pretty good right now.”

An ankle injury can affect mechanics, and there were times last week when McCord’s footwork looked off.

“Obviously, it’s not ideal,” he said, “but (I’m) powering through it and pushing through the pain. I think the biggest thing is learning how to play with it, and I think it’s been getting better every week.”

McCord threw two interceptions against Wisconsin, his first since the season-opener, but completed his final seven passes as Ohio State pulled away for a 24-10 win.

McCord has been generally solid this year, but after his Dwayne Haskins Jr., Justin Fields and Stroud were Heisman Trophy finalists, some OSU fans have expressed disappointment with his play.

“I think he's doing what he needs to do to lead this team,” Derek McCord said. “We’ve gotten off to an 8-0 start, so you can't ask for anything more than that. He's had his bumps and bruises, and he's dealing with the ankle.

“I think he's done a great job in managing the game and doing what he's asked to do. We’re probably not relying on the pass as much as they did with C.J. and Justin and so forth. We’re trying to be more balanced here, and obviously, the defense is playing lights out.”

Still, the criticism can sting.

“It probably bothers his mother a little bit more than it bothers me,” Derek said. “Buckeye Nation is definitely not for the faint of heart, but it comes with the territory.”

He said his son has the mental strength to handle it.

“I'm extremely proud of him,” he said. “He's been great at ignoring the noise and just focusing on the task at hand. He'll continue to do so and hopefully lead this team deep into January and reach their ultimate goal.”

The Buckeyes have done a good job of not overlooking opponents. That’ll be important Saturday because this year’s Rutgers team isn’t the patsy its predecessors have been.

The Scarlet Knights are already bowl-eligible as former OSU defensive coordinator Greg Schiano continues to build the program in his fourth year since returning to his home-state program. Their formula is a defense that doesn’t allow big plays, a solid run game led by Kyle Monangai, and strong special-teams play, which is a Schiano hallmark.

Rutgers lacks a marquee win, but it hung with Michigan for a half, trailing only 14-7 before losing 31-7. Ohio State has never lost to Rutgers. The Buckeyes’ average margin of victory is more than 42 points.

But this year, the Buckeyes are only an 18-point favorite.

“The (Rutgers) talent has been upgraded,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said Tuesday. “I think they do a good job schematically and play complementary football. That's why we’ve got to do a great job of preparing.”

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: McCord awaits a homecoming when Ohio State plays his dad's alma mater