NOTEBOOK: Ohio State Buckeyes Defeat Maryland Terrapins, 37-17
The No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday at Ohio Stadium, 37-17.
The Buckeyes got off to a slow start, specifically offensively, but made some crucial changes during halftime that led them to a 20-point victory against the visiting Terrapins.
Here are some of the biggest takeaways from Ohio State's fifth triumph of the season.
Ohio State's Offensive Line Needs Improvement
The Buckeyes struggled running the football against the Terrapins, compiling only 89 yards as a team. Whenever Ohio State was able to get things going on the ground, it was typically an outside handoff, rather than a punch up the middle.
Perhaps most of the reason for the slow day rushing is because of the absence of TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State's top running back. But some of the responsibility undoubtedly goes to a poor job from the Buckeyes offensive line.
The Ohio State o-line had a tough time holding back the Maryland rush, resulting in quarterback Kyle McCord being sacked three times for a total loss of 21 yards. To put that into perspective, McCord had been sacked just twice coming into this game, once in each of the last two games against Western Kentucky and then-No. 9 Notre Dame, respectively.
The junior signal caller still threw for over 300 yards, but the frequency with which the Maryland defense was able to reach McCord is something Ohio State will need to address during practice this week.
Ohio State is Still Competitive with Just Their Defense
Jim Knowles and the Ohio State defense should receive major praise for keeping the Buckeyes competitive through the first half of Saturday's game.
When all the offense could do was punt the ball back to Maryland each possession, Ohio State's defense held the Terrapins to just 10 points. That might not sound impressive, but the Terrapins could have easily put more on the scoreboard had the Buckeyes defense decided to play less physically than they did.
In fact, the first touchdown of the game for Ohio State came off of a pick-six from safety Josh Proctor. This crucial score allowed the Buckeyes to return to the locker room tied 10-10 with Maryland, rather than down 10-3 (assuming Jayden Fielding's field goal would have been scored either way).
The Buckeyes Need to Iron out Their Kinks Before Penn State
Ohio State cannot afford to start slow against Penn State and Michigan: the two strongest teams remaining on the regular-season schedule.
If the Buckeyes were to play the Nittany Lions and Wolverines as they did in the first half against Maryland, not only would they allow significantly more than ten points, but it is a safe bet Ohio State would not be able to come back in the latter half.
Saturday against Maryland was not the first time Ohio State struggled to get off of the ground against an underdog opponent this season. The Buckeyes need to make sure they solve whatever is preventing them from starting off strong before Penn State comes to town in two weeks.
