Ohio State stock report: Josh Proctor among defensive playmakers on rise
Where Ohio State is trending after its 37-17 win over Maryland on Saturday:
Rising
Josh Proctor: The preseason competition at free safety was one of the Buckeyes’ tightest position battles and remained unsettled until just before their opener at Indiana. Proctor, who took hold of the starting role, has not only solidified himself in the spot, but emerged as a playmaker in the secondary. He gave Ohio State an early lift against the Terrapins by intercepting a pass by quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa and returning it for a touchdown.
J.T. Tuimoloau: In high-leverage situations, Tuimoloau has continued stepping up. His tackle for a loss and pass breakup were critical in the comeback at Notre Dame, returning possession to the Buckeyes for their game-winning touchdown drive, and he was involved in both fourth-down stops against Maryland, snuffing out runs in the backfield. He also got his first sack of the season on Saturday.
Lathan Ransom: After leading the Buckeyes with 13 tackles against the Irish, Ransom made an impact in coverage. He did not allow a completion and picked off a pass by Tagovailoa along the sideline in the third quarter that set up the go-ahead scoring drive.
Marvin Harrison Jr.: Playing on a bad ankle, Harrison shouldered a heavy workload. More than half of quarterback Kyle McCord’s targets went his way, and he finished with a season-high eight catches for 163 yards. It was a performance that showed the star wide receiver’s grit.
Jayden Fielding: In his first season kicking field goals for the Buckeyes, Fielding has not missed, including making all three of his attempts against Maryland from 36, 24 and 41 yards. His accuracy has been needed in close games and proven reliable.
Steady
Short-yardage execution: The Buckeyes were better in short-yardage situations against Maryland, an issue that had previously stalled drives this season and been among the biggest concerns for their offense. Outside of an incompletion by McCord on a third-and-2 on the opening drive, they kept the chains moving on third or fourth and short, turning to running back Chip Trayanum who picked up the yards on the ground.
Sonny Styles: There were moments when Tagovailoa seemed to pick on Styles. According to Pro Football Focus data, Styles was targeted six times in coverage and allowed five receptions. He got behind Jeshaun Jones on a wheel route in the second quarter, a 26-yard completion that positioned the Terrapins to go up, 10-0. But he also came up big around the line of scrimmage, preventing Tagovailoa from scrambling on a third-and-9 at the end of the third quarter while Ohio State held a narrow three-point lead.
Falling
Punt unit: The Buckeyes experienced punting issues from the opening series against Maryland when long snapper John Ferlmann’s snap slipped out of his grasp, bounced off the turf and ended up in the hands of linebacker Cody Simon, one of the upbacks, rather than punter Jesse Mirco. The botched snap resulted in a turnover on downs with Simon tackled for a loss of 3 yards. The unit was also flagged for an illegal formation penalty while allowing a return of 26 yards in the second quarter.
Pass protection: The offensive line continues to struggle and has surrendered four of its seven sacks in the last two games, including giving up a season-high three sacks to the Terrapins. Two were on third down and kept Ohio State from moving the chains. The Buckeyes are allowing an average of a half-sack more per game this fall and have looked especially vulnerable against edge rushers.
Backfield depth: The absence of TreVeyon Henderson on Saturday left Trayanum and Miyan Williams with opportunities to push for larger roles in the backfield, but neither was too convincing that they should cut into Henderson’s carries when he is expected to return at Purdue next week. They combined for 84 yards on 26 carries, an average of 3.2 yards per attempt and lacked much explosiveness. They had only one run longer than 10 yards, an 11-yard gain by Williams in the fourth quarter.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Follow him on Facebook and X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. He can also be contacted at jkaufman@dispatch.com.
Get more Ohio State football news by listening to our podcasts
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football stock report after win over Maryland
