Notre Dame can begin preparing to face one Ohio State quarterback in two weeks. Kyle McCord is the full-time guy.

The 15-percenters will grumble about the decision, not necessarily because they wanted Devin Brown to win the job but because they were hoping C.J. Stroud – or Rex Kern if you’re still receiving AARP mailers – would somehow miraculously walk through that door.

Not happening. But the bright side for Herbie’s doomsday lunatic fringe is that McCord slammed the door on the OSU quarterback competition. My view is the junior has won the job outright over Brown, a redshirt freshman, after a strong performance in Saturday’s 35-7 win against Youngstown State. Good. The two-QB platoon system seldom is a thing of beauty.

Day would not confirm McCord’s coronation officially – former QBs-turned coaches are averse to guaranteeing anything (except for Jim Harbaugh, circa 1986 vs. Ohio State; Google it, kids.)

“I thought Kyle had poise for his second game. Devin was a little anxious, but once he gets hit and a little tired he calms down a little bit,” Day said.

But is he ready to make a decision on the full-time guy?

“We’ll look at it this week and try to see if (McCord) has taken that step,” Day said. “But I’m not ready to make that decision right now.”

Uh-huh. Actions speak louder than coachspeak: McCord played five of the first six possessions against the Penguins and opened the second half running the huddle, which is where he belongs. A week after failing to wow against Indiana, prompting ESPN broadcaster Kirk Herbstreit to rant against the “15-percenters” on social media who hold McCord (and Day) to a “psychotic standard,” the quiet kid from New Jersey impressed with his poise in the pocket and ability to put the ball close enough to Marvin Harrison Jr. (seven catches, two touchdowns) and Emeka Ebuka (four and one) so that OSU’s best two wide receivers could do damage.

McCord also completed passes to five different receivers, and more importantly not one of them was Cade Stover, which should put to rest any knee-jerk narrative that McCord is comfortable only targeting his tight ends. (Stover caught five passes from McCord against Indiana).

Does McCord think he won the job? Well, he is a quarterback, coached by a former quarterback. No guarantees, remember?

“That’s a question for coach Day,” said McCord, who completed 14 of 20 passes for 258 yards and three touchdowns, without an interception. “The only thing I’m worried about is whenever I’m on the field to make the most of my opportunity.”

For his part, Brown (7 of 13 for 101 yards) said he thinks he remains in the race, but drill into Day’s words and the picture clears.

It behooves the Buckeyes to give the full-time QB as many snaps as possible entering the tug-of-war at Notre Dame Sept. 23.

“I think that’s worth considering,” Day said of giving the starting quarterback all the reps next week against Western Kentucky.

Count on it. Brown may see some playing time during the second half, if the Buckeyes have the win locked up, but McCord has further separated himself from his younger challenger.

“He came out of the gate … found Marvin," Day said. "For games like this, how you play (early) matters, and he came out of the gate faster (than against Indiana)."

McCord winning the job comes as no shock. With three years in Day’s system, he entered the spring as heir apparent to Stroud, and did nothing to lose that advantage. But it’s not entirely clear he did anything to pad it, either. Day confirmed that Brown even briefly took the lead during fall camp, only to give it back in the two weeks leading to the Sept. 2 opener at Indiana.

McCord probably benefits from his coach having played the same position in college. Day understands the complexity of the position and knows it takes time for things to click.

“I remember being a quarterback,” he said. “You put the film in and, ‘What did I see?’ Then the next time it’s, ‘Oh, OK.' Then sometimes you come out of games and it’s like ‘I don’t even know what just happened. I just found the flow of the game.’ ”

Back to Stroud for a moment. I have been writing that it would be nearly impossible for McCord to play at the same level as Stroud, who to these eyes is the best quarterback in OSU history seeing the entire field, reading defenses and dropping passes into near-perfect spots for his receivers. I still think that, but McCord showed more than just average talent against YSU. A better way to put it: He is more than just a game manager.

“I don’t think Kyle missed many throws,” Day said.

Brown, by comparison, admitted he missed some easy ones.

And when you’re No. 2, those misses loom large.

Write it in ink – McCord is the man.

roller@dispatch.com

@rollerCD

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football quarterback Kyle McCord outbattles Devin Brown