Defense Rises Up to Help Buckeyes to 37-17 Win Over Terps
10/7/2023 3:45:00 PM | Football
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- With the help of its defense and a pair of interceptions, No. 4 Ohio State (5-0, 2-0) held off Maryland (5-1, 2-1) at Ohio Stadium Saturday to remain undefeated.
Lathan Ransom and Josh Proctor each picked off Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa in the win. Proctor returned his pick for a second-quarter touchdown.
Ohio State signal caller Kyle McCord finished with 19 completions on 29 attempts for a career-best 320 yards and two touchdowns.
His favorite target was Marvin Harrison Jr. with eight catches for 163 yards and a score. Cade Stover had two grabs for 66 yards and a touchdown.
DeaMonte Trayanum led the way on the ground with 20 carries for 62 yards and a touchdown.
Tommy Eichenberg paced the Buckeyes with 13 total tackles and seven solo stops.
Ohio State travels next week to face Purdue in West Lafayette. Kickoff is set for noon on Peacock.
First Quarter
Maryland 7, No. 4 Ohio State 0,Maryland won the pregame coin toss and elected to defer. The Buckeyes received the opening kickoff but were forced into punt formation at their 33 after three first-possession plays.
Ohio State attempted a fake punt but Maryland stopped a Cody Simon rush at the OSU 30 to take possession.
Four plays later, Terrapin quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa connected over the middle with receiver Kaden Prather for a 15-yard touchdown in the back of the Ohio State endzone. The drive covered 30 yards on four plays to give the Terps a 7-0 lead with 12:41 showing on the first-quarter clock.
The Buckeyes started it next possession on their 25 after a touchback.
Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord moved the Buckeyes to the Maryland 48 before Jesse Mirco punted it away. Maryland bobbled the punt but recovered at their 21 after a 33-yard kick.
The Terps called its first timeout after driving to their 25. Maryland continued to move the ball, aided by a 24-yard Prather catch and run to the OSU 38.
Ohio State forced the Terrapins into a fourth-and-1 situation at the OSU 29. The Buckeyes stopped the Terrapins after a rush up the middle to take over possession on downs at their 29.
McCord was sacked back at the OSU 15 forcing a Mirco punt that traveled 48 yards to the Maryland 37.
Maryland ended the quarter driving after an 8-yard rush to the Ohio State 32.
Second Quarter
No. 4 Ohio State 10, Maryland 10
Maryland opened the second quarter completing a 26-yard pass to the Ohio State 6. The Terrapins got to the OSU 3 before kicking a 21-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead. The drive covered 60 yards on 12 plays while using 5:07.
Ohio State was forced to punt on its next possession giving the ball back to the Terrapins after a 48-yard boot from the OSU 38 to the Maryland 14.
The Buckeyes then got on the board after a defensive score. On a third-and-5 situation at the Maryland 19, Ohio State's Josh Proctor intercepted Tagovailoa at the Maryland 24 and returned it 24 yards for Ohio State's first score of the game to make it 10-7 Terrapins.
Ohio State's defense then forced a Terrapins punt to get possession on the OSU 13 after a 40-yard punt.
The Buckeyes drove to the OSU37 before punting it back to Maryland. The Terrapins took over after a 26-yard return to the Maryland 46. The ball was moved to the Ohio State 49 after a formation penalty on the Buckeyes.
Tagovailoa was sacked by Ohio State's JT Tuimoloau for a 10-yard loss to the Maryland 40. Three plays later Maryland punted it back to the Buckeyes, where Ohio State took over at the OSU 10.
McCord then went deep on Ohio State's first play for a 58-yard gain to Marvin Harrison Jr. to the Maryland 32.
Harrison Jr. then went for a 19-yard gain on a McCord pass down the right sideline to the Maryland 13.
DeaMonte Trayanum took one up the middle for 6 yards to the UMD 7. Maryland called timeout with 1:40 left in the half with Ohio State facing a third-and-5.
The Buckeyes then attempted a field goal to tie the game and Jayden Fielding's 36-yard effort was true to make it 10-all with 1:32 left.
Maryland drove to the OSU 15 before time ran out on the Terrapins with the game tied at 10-all heading into the half.
Third Quarter
No. 4 Ohio State 20, Maryland 17The Terrapins had the opening possession of the second half starting from their 25 after a touchback.
Maryland put together a 75-yard scoring drive that culminated in a 9-yard Tagovailoa scramble up the middle for the go-ahead touchdown. Maryland ran nine plays and used 3:57 to make it 17-10 Terps.
McCord came right back and drove the Buckeyes down the field to tie the game at 17-all. Trayanum took a pitch from the Maryland 4 and won the race to the right corner of the endzone for the score.
McCord connected with Emeka Egbuka and Julina Fleming for gains of 19 and 37 yards, respectively, during the drive. Fleming's catch, a sliding grab at the UMD4, set up the Trayanum scoring run.
The drive covered 76 yards on just four plays over 2:01.
Ohio State got the ball right back after Lathan Ransom intercepted Tagovailoa near the left sideline at the OSU 47. Ransom returned the pick 15 yards to give the offense the ball at the Maryland 38.
After a McCord to Cade Stover 22-yard pass to the UMD6 the Maryland defense held to bring on the Ohio State field goal unit. Fielding nailed a 24-yarder to give Ohio State the 20-17 lead with 2:19 left in the quarter.
The drive, following the Maryland turnover, covered 33 yards on nine plays over 3:49.
The quarter ended after Ohio State's Sonny Styles took down Tagovailoa at the Maryland 36 on third-and-long.
Fourth Quarter
No. 4 Ohio State 37, Maryland 17Maryland opened the final quarter punting the ball away to the Buckeyes.
Ohio State took over at its 25 and drove 75 yards on eight plays to take a 27-17 lead after Stover scored on a 44-yard pass play from McCord. After a fake pitch to the left, McCord rolled right and found a wide-open Stover for the score.
The Buckeyes got the ball back on downs after stopping the Terrapins deep in Maryland territory.
Starting from the Terrapins 17 after a fourth-down stop at the UMD32 and a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty on the Terps, Ohio State used a timeout after a short gain to the Maryland 16.
Two plays later, McCord found Harrison Jr. over the middle for a 17-yard touchdown and a 34-17 Ohio State lead. The three-play scoring drive of 17 yards gave the Buckeyes 17 unanswered points to double the lead over the Terrapins.
Maryland punted on its next possession and the Buckeyes used the ground game to take time off the clock. After driving to the Maryland 23, the Buckeyes extended its lead to 37-17 after a 41-yard Fielding field goal with 2:10 left to play.
Maryland punted it away on its final possession and the Buckeyes ran out the clock for the win.
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