Ohio State Football: Why Buckeyes Fans Should Be Terrified of Gunner Kiel

COLUMBUS, Ohio — There will be a 5-star quarterback inside of Ohio Stadium when Ohio State takes the field for its showdown with Cincinnati this Saturday.

But he won't be playing for the Buckeyes.

Because contrary to tradition, it will be the Bearcats with the talent edge at signal-caller in this weekend's Buckeye State battle. Thanks to the arrival of Gunner Kiel, UC possesses what Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer believes to be one of the best quarterbacks in college football, and a player plenty capable of handing the Buckeyes their second loss of the young 2014 season.

"I see a strong guy, he looks big. A big, strong arm. A very courageous player that throws into the oncoming pass rush," Meyer said of the 6'4", 208-pound Kiel. "I see one of the top quarterbacks in the country."

That was always the expectation for Kiel, a former 5-star prospect by way of Columbus, Indiana. Originally committed to his home state Hoosiers, Kiel was once slated to face Ohio State on a more regular basis but switched his verbal pledge to LSU before ultimately signing with Notre Dame.

Kiel's career in South Bend would be short-lived, however, as the writing for him appeared to be on the wall when fellow freshman Everett Golson was named the Fighting Irish's starter in 2012. And before he could stick around to see Golson suspended for the 2013 campaign due to an academic violation, Kiel opted to take his talents elsewhere, transferring to Cincinnati in April 2013.

Joe Raymond/Associated Press

After sitting out a season due to NCAA transfer rules, Kiel's college career finally got off to the start that many imagined it would on Sept. 12, when he threw for 418 yards and six touchdowns in the Bearcats' 58-34 win over Toledo. Sitting in his team hotel room on that Friday night, awaiting the next day's matchup with Kent State, Meyer took notice of the Buckeyes' future foe.

"You'd think there'd be more first-game mistakes with a new quarterback," Meyer said of Cincinnati's season opener. "But they were outstanding."

The same could be said for Kiel in his Cincinnati encore, a 271-yard, four-touchdown outing in the Bearcats' 31-24 win over Miami (Ohio) last weekend. Facing Ohio State, of course, will be a taller task than taking on the Rockets and RedHawks, but the challenge in this weekend's I-71 showdown appears to be mutual.

Especially when you take into account that, of the number of questions that the Buckeyes still find themselves facing after the first fourth of the 2014 season, the status of their unproven pass defense tops the list. A year ago, Ohio State saw its national championship chances dashed thanks in large part to a passing defense that ranked 118th in the nation out of 125 teams, and this season, the Buckeyes are yet to truly be tested in that facet.

"Here we go," Meyer said, cutting off a reporter's question as soon as the words "pass defense" left his lips during his weekly press conference on Monday. "This is the test, this is the one that we're all shooting for and they're really good at throwing the ball, and it will be a challenge for us. I can't make that evaluation yet after the first three games."

That's a sentiment that's shared by the Ohio State defensive backs, who are excited to finally put defensive coordinator Chris Ash's newly installed press coverage scheme on full display. After facing a triple-option opponent in Navy, a run-oriented offense in Virginia Tech and an overmatched Kent State squad, the Buckeyes' secondary will truly have its work cut out against a Cincinnati team that ranks ninth in the nation with 353.5 passing yards per game.

"For the secondary, this is big because this is the best quarterback with the best wide receiving group that we're going to see all season," said sophomore safety Tyvis Powell. "This is the best time to show the fans that the pass defense has improved."

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Of course, saying such is one thing, while proving themselves is a whole other challenge in and of itself for the Buckeyes. As Powell said, the best quarterback that Ohio State will face all season could very well be Kiel, who's listed as NFLDraftScout.com's No. 4 quarterback in the 2017 draft class, behind Florida State's Jameis Winston, Penn State's Christian Hackenberg and Texas A&M's Kenny Hill.

Which is all the more reason why Saturday's matchup will be the best way to gauge how far the Buckeyes' highly criticized pass defense has truly come. After 2013 came to a close with Michigan State's Connor Cook and Clemson's Tajh Boyd shredding Ohio State, the Buckeyes are well aware that walking away from this weekend with a win won't be possible without containing Kiel.

"Us with the 'W,'" OSU cornerback Doran Grant answered when asked what will constitute a passing grade for the Buckeyes' pass defense against the Bearcats. "'Cause I know by us getting a 'W,' that means we did our job on the back end."

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Ohio State Lead Writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes obtained firsthand. All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.