Columbus, Ohio - In the college football world, it's always Ohio against the world, and the Buckeyes are armed with the readiness to disprove any doubters this football season!

Despite Ohio State's recent 23-3 victory over Indiana, the Buckeyes found themselves under a barrage of online criticism for not winning by a larger margin.

Online naysayers had a field day bashing Buckeye quarterbacks Kyle McCord and Devin Brown, conveniently overlooking the fact that it was their inaugural start to their budding careers.

Senior tight end Cade Stover, on the other hand, decided to play the role of the haters' personal "check-mate," confidently brushing off the negativity and coming to the defense of his offensive chiefs with style!

"I can promise you that nobody here cares at all about what they say," Stover recently told reporters.

He added: "We appreciate their support in everything else, but when it comes down to the X's and O's about them talking about stuff, they don't see the thousands of reps we're putting in, and Kyle [McCord] and Devin [Brown] and those guys are putting in."

Cade Stover defended Kyle McCord and Devin Brown's performances against Indiana, citing former starter and two-time Heisman finalist CJ Stroud's debut start against Minnesota in 2021 as a reference.

"That's a tough spot to step into, and to be honest with you, I think they did well, and I trust them wholeheartedly, both of those guys with the game in their hands," Stover said. "I remember people calling for CJ's [Stroud] head when he first started."

Throughout his time at Ohio State, Stover has also faced criticism directed at both him personally and his teammates. Over this period, the Ohio native has come to realize that his on-field performance does not rely on online opinions.

"When you first deal with it, it's hard not to look at some of the stuff, I guess," Stover said. "I can assure you when we go into that game on Saturday that we are not thinking about Johnny in his basement typing, 'Hey you guys suck,'" Stover said.

Stover and Ohio State will continue to prove their doubters wrong on Saturday as they host Youngstown State at noon ET.