Ohio State football pulls away late for win over Maryland
From the start, it was clear this would not be just another Ohio State blowout of Maryland at the Horseshoe.
The Terrapins entered just out of the top-25 rankings with a 5-0 record, all lopsided wins. But the Terps' schedule was weak, and Las Vegas was skeptical. The Terps were 17-point underdogs.
After all, No. 4 Ohio State had beaten Maryland by a combined score of 250-73 in their previous four games in Columbus.
But Maryland, with star quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa and a solid defense, proved a worthy opponent. Ohio State didn't take the lead until late in the third quarter before pulling away for a 37-17 victory Saturday afternoon in front of 104,874 chilly, wet spectators.
The Buckeyes were coming off an emotional win at Notre Dame and an off week. They vowed they would be ready for Maryland.
For most of the first half, it didn't look like it.
Ohio State offense did little and needed a pick-six by safety Josh Proctor to be tied at halftime.
But after Maryland scored go-ahead touchdown on its opening drive of the third quarter, the Buckeyes (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) took control.
They answered Maryland's score with a quick touchdown. A 37-yard pass from Kyle McCord (19 of 29, 320 yards) to Julian Fleming set up Chip Trayanum's 4-yard touchdown run.
Ohio State safety Lathan Ransom intercepted Tagovailoa on third down on the ensuing Maryland possession and returned it to the Terps' 32. The Buckeyes stalled after getting to the Maryland 5, but the field goal with 2:19 left in the third quarter gave OSU its first lead.
The Buckeyes scored touchdowns on their first two drives of the fourth quarter to put the game away. After Harrison made an over-the-shoulder catch to convert a second-and-33, McCord threw to tight end Cade Stover for a 44-yard touchdown.
Harrison made it 34-17 with a 17-yard score, one play after a penalty negated a touchdown catch by him.
Harrison, who spent the off week rehabbing a sprained ankle, finished with eight catches for 163 yards.
"The way we played in the second half is the way Buckeye football is supposed to be played," said Ohio State coach Ryan Day.
Ohio State was fortunate to be tied at 10 at halftime.
The Buckeyes' offense, playing without running back TreVeyon Henderson (unspecified injury), did almost nothing for most of half. OSU gained only 70 yards in its first five possessions.
Their special teams were no help. The Buckeyes botched a punt snap on fourth-and-2 on their first possession. Cody Simon took the direct snap and was almost immediately tackled for a 3-yard loss.
Maryland took over at the OSU 30 and scored in four plays, the last one a 15-yard pass to Kaden Prather with Davison Igbinosun in tight coverage.
The Buckeyes stuffed Maryland on fourth-and-1 from their 29 on the Terps' next possession. On their following one, the Terrapins drove 60 yards to the OSU 3. But the Buckeyes tackled Tagovailoa on third-and-goal at the 3 to force a field goal.
After another fruitless OSU drive, the Buckeyes finally got their first big play of the game. On third-and-5, Ohio State faked a blitz. Tagovailoa threw to tight end Corey Dyches, but safety Josh Proctor stepped in front of Dyches, made the interception and ran 24 yards for the pick-six.
Ohio State's offense finally got untracked, sort of, on its final possession of the half. Harrison got open deep for a 58-yard catch to the Maryland 32. A 19-yarder to Harrison moved the ball to the 13, but the Buckeyes couldn't cash in. After an intentional-grounding penalty on McCord, Jayden Fielding kicked a 36-yard field goal to tie the game.
Maryland had a chance to retake the lead before halftime. The Terrapins had the ball at the OSU 18 with 16 seconds left after a roughing-the-passer penalty on Michael Hall Jr. But the Terps had no timeouts left when Antwain Littleton caught a 4-yard pass and was tackled inbounds, and time expired.
Maryland outgained Ohio State 181-142 in the first 30 minutes and had 12 first downs to OSU's six.
In the second half, the Buckeyes outgained Maryland 240-121.
Tagovailoa finished 21 of 41 for 196 yards.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football pulls away late for win over Maryland
