Five things we think we learned after Ohio State’s win over Maryland

We keep waiting for this Ohio State team to really hit stride, but that seems to be a harder proposition than what we’ve seen in recent years.

Yes, Ohio State lost a quarterback that’s tearing it up in his rookie season in the NFL, but the reload should be there and the offense should be much further along than where it is after five games.

That problem rose up and bit the Buckeyes today in the first half, but they regrouped in the second half and turned defeat into a victory against a Terrapins team that, frankly, helped Ohio State a great deal. The final score? How about 37-17 good guys?

After every game we observe what we saw and come up with five things we think we learned and here are the facts — or at least our interpretation of them — after win over Maryland Saturday afternoon.

The offense is still a serious work in progress

What we observed

Despite a wealth of weapons at the skill positions, this offense is nowhere near as good as it has been during the first few years of the Ryan Day era. It’s hard to put your finger on what’s off exactly, but clearly some of it has to do with an offensive line that’s struggling and the fact Kyle McCord is still developing.

How many times have we had to wait until the second half to see an Ohio State offense score its first touchdown of the game? It’s been a long, long time, but that’s what happened in this one.

If the offense doesn’t come along pronto, there are going to be at least a couple of losses in 2023, and it’s been a long time since we’ve seen that, too.

The running game is much better with TreVeyon Henderson

What we observed

Yes, the offensive line had issues blowing people off the ball and changing the line of scrimmage. Yes, Chip Trayanum is more than a solid option in the backfield, but there’s a different feel when TreVeyon Henderson is in the game.

When running room is hard to come by, it helps to have a guy that can just go out on the playground and out athlete everybody. Henderson can break plays open by outrunning defenders to the edge or going through a crack and out the backside better than any other back on this team, and he can cover up some deficiencies up front.

OSU is simply more explosive on offense with him available and 100%. Let’s hope Saturday was a case of holding him out as a precaution and not because he has something that’s going to linger.

Kyle McCord is still figuring things out

What we observed

The hope was the clutch two-minute drive we saw Kyle McCord orchestrate at the end of the Notre Dame game would carry through the bye week and into the Maryland game — and beyond.

That didn’t happen. Several throws that could have been touchdowns were underthrown on Saturday, and the decision making and progression — though getting better — hasn’t fully clicked yet.

That’s OK, and completely understandable, but the sands in the hourglass are running out. Penn State comes calling in a couple of weeks, and of course, Michigan is awaiting with snarling teeth on Nov. 25.

McCord eventually figured out he had the best receiver in college football and ended up with 320 yards and two touchdowns on 19-of-29 completions, and that’s not a bad day. There’s still progress to be made though, and I’m confident he’s on the right track.

Thank God for the defense

What we observed

This game could have gone completely south far worse than it did, if not for the efforts of the defense. Not only did the side of the ball responsible for stopping scores from happening score a touchdown on its own, it also thwarted many opportunities at key times in the game for the Maryland offense.

This was a game in which we were going to find out about the defense because of some of the challenges the Terrapin offense presents, and it definitely rose to the occasion more often than not.

Marvin Harrison Jr. should wear a cape

What we observed

Well, we observed what we always observe with Marvin Harrison Jr. He should have a scarlet and gray phone booth on the sidelines or a cape with a bunch of Buckeye leaves flowing from the back of his uniform.

Ohio State’s offense was about as explosive as a North Korean failed missile test for the better part of the first half. Then the fuse was lit when the focus shifted toward Harrison Jr. He was almost all of the offense in the first half and got things going for Kyle McCord.

He had one whale of a game, notching six catches for 163 yards and a touchdown, many of them in very key moments. I haven’t yet seen him leap tall buildings in a single bound, but it wouldn’t surprise me if that’s in his toolchest as well.

Story originally appeared on Buckeye Wire