Login to view embedded media
Lincoln Kienholz was disappointed he didn’t win Ohio State’s starting quarterback job, but that only made him hungrier to prove himself when he got his first opportunity to play this season.
That first opportunity came last weekend against Grambling State, and Kienholz took advantage of it. The third-year quarterback from South Dakota, who didn’t throw a pass in 2024 as Ohio State’s fourth-string quarterback, completed six of seven passing attempts for 71 yards and his first career touchdown pass while also running for 10 yards on two carries.
“I made the most of it. I went out there and just did the best I could, just trying to put the team in the best spot to go out and score,” Kienholz said. “I think overall, I did well. I think also there's one incompletion that I could have probably made, but other than that, it was solid.
“It honestly felt really fun just to go out there,” Kienholz added. “Just making the plays I did, scoring a touchdown and also just leading the team down every time I guess I was in and scoring, I think it was honestly really fun and I enjoyed it a lot.”
Kienholz, who met with the media on Wednesday for the first time since Julian Sayin won the starting quarterback job, admits it was hard to accept he wouldn’t be the Buckeyes’ starter this year. But Ohio State’s coaches have reminded their No. 2 quarterback that he’s just one play away from entering the game at all times, and the Buckeyes’ backup has taken that message to heart.
“I think it's really important to go out there and prepare like the starter,” Kienholz said. “I've talked to multiple coaches and they all say that I'm one play away from going in there, and they want me to be ready and just make the most of that opportunity.”
Just sayin': Sayin is a rs-Frosh and Kienholz is a rs-Soph. Lincoln's only chance to start now is if Sayin gets injured or somehow becomes ineligible, etc. I hope Lincoln doesn't end up transferring; however, his QB future at Ohio State could just be Kenny Guiton 2.0. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing; other notable backup QBs at Ohio State include Ron Maciejowski and Cardale Jones.
