Sunday Rewind: Ohio State 37, Maryland 17

Ryan Day shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.

The question posed at his postgame press conference following Ohio State’s 37-17 win over Maryland left him perplexed.

What was behind the Buckeyes’ slow start?

“I don’t know,” Day said. “I wish I had an answer to it.”

The Buckeyes, returning from an idle week and two weeks removed from their emotional comeback at Notre Dame, came out flat against the Terrapins.

They fell behind, 10-0. Tied it at 10. Then got down 17-10. Their offense did not reach the end zone until the third quarter. It took a late rally, a run of 27 consecutive points, in order for the Buckeyes to pull ahead comfortably and avoid an upset by a team that is winless all-time against them.

The scene on Saturday at times evoked memories of the Buckeyes’ ugly win at Northwestern last season when they suffered a letdown a week after coming from behind in dramatic fashion at Penn State.

Here are other observations, plus some statistics from the game.

Star of the game

Imagine if Marvin Harrison Jr.’s sprained right ankle had sidelined him against the Terrapins. Harrison snapped the Buckeyes out of their funk late in the second quarter and hauled in a handful of big catches, among the star receiver’s eight receptions for 163 yards and one touchdown. His presence was critical.

Other standouts

Defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau had 1 ½ sacks and helped to trip up running back Antwain Littleton II on a fourth-and-3 in the fourth quarter that dashed Maryland’s remaining hopes. Tuimoloau was also instrumental on another fourth-down stop in the first quarter, bringing down quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. with linebacker Cody Simon.

Turning point

With the Buckeyes’ offense listless early on, safety Josh Proctor’s pick six in the second quarter was a sign of life. Not only had they been shut out prior to Proctor’s interception, but they had also totaled only 41 yards of offense and not moved any further than Maryland’s 48-yard line.

Second-guessing

Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa’s checkdown in the waning seconds of the second quarter allowed time to expire since the Terrapins were without any timeouts. If Tagovailoa had instead thrown the ball away, they would have lined up for a 35-yard field goal attempt. The Buckeyes instead remained in a 10-10 tie with Maryland at halftime and were behind by only a touchdown after the Terrapins reached the end zone on the opening series of the second half.

Repercussions

It wasn’t a pretty win, but one that could harden the Buckeyes as it marked a second consecutive game in which they needed to rally in the second half to prevail. Day praised them for not getting panicky. The experience could benefit them down the stretch as far as keeping their composure in-game.

Playoff forecast

This victory might look better on paper in two months. Squint at Maryland’s schedule and it’s not difficult to draw up a scenario in which they end up with eight or nine wins, giving them one of the better records in the Big Ten. A slow start by the Buckeyes could be forgotten.

Confidence calculator

8/10: Lingering issues with the offensive line bring the Buckeyes down a peg, setting in as an ongoing issue instead of simply September growing pains.

Numbers to know

1: The passes of 25 yards or more by Tagovailoa, who had five throws of at least as many yards last season against the Buckeyes.

25%: The percentage of third downs that were successful for Ohio State (3 of 12), the lowest since converting 2 of 12 in the season opener at Indiana.

50: The career victories for Day, who became the second-fastest Football Bowl Subdivision coach to reach that mark behind Chris Petersen. Day did it in 56 games, while Petersen did it in 54 at Boise State.

62: The rushing yards by Ohio State, its fewest since rushing for 35 yards on 39 carries in a loss to Michigan State in 2011.

320: The passing yards from Buckeyes quarterback Kyle McCord, setting a career-high.

Depth chart development

Chip Trayanum was due for a heavier workload with TreVeyon Henderson unavailable. But the backup running back’s role was perhaps even bigger than expected. He saw 20 carries, the most by any back this season and significantly more than Miyan Williams, who ran only six times as he spelled Trayanum. Williams has picked up only a handful of carries in each game.

Knee-jerk message board threads

“McCord is not the answer!” – bucknuts.com

“What is the Point of Having a Special Teams Coach?” -- elevenwarriors.com

“Do these refs have a wager on this game or just dislike osu????” -- theozone.net

Who’s next

Ohio State returns to West Lafayette for the first time since its stunning upset loss to Purdue in 2018, a setback in Urban Meyer’s final season at the helm that cost the Buckeyes a berth in the College Football Playoff. That remains their last loss to an unranked team. The Boilermakers aren’t close to being ranked this fall. They’re 2-4 in their first season under Ryan Walters, the former defensive coordinator at Illinois.

Final thought

Defense put the Buckeyes in position to come from behind in the second half against Maryland, as it did at Notre Dame two weeks earlier. Ohio State's offense managed only two field goals in the first half for a combined six points in those games, but OSU also allowed just 10 points and, in fact, put points on the board with Proctor returning his interception for a touchdown.

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.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football analysis on Buckeyes' win over Maryland