COLUMBUS — This is fast becoming a fascinating Ohio State football season.
The Buckeyes are breaking in a new quarterback, seasoning new faces on a shaky offensive line, and navigating it all with a veteran defense that’s keeping everything within reach.
Saturday was the latest example.
For the second game in a row, coach Ryan Day’s club failed to score an offensive touchdown in the first half.
But for the second game in a row, fourth-ranked Ohio State found a way to win. Previously unbeaten Maryland was the victim this time in a 37-17 verdict at Ohio Stadium.
“Early on, I feel like a I missed some opportunities or just saw (things) a second late, so that’s on nobody else but myself,” quarterback Kyle McCord said. “If we could replicate what we did in the second half, and just do that in the first half, I think that’s a completely different game.”
McCord finished with a career day, hitting 19-of-29 passes for 320 yards and a pair of touchdowns to Marvin Harrison Jr. The two high school teammates tapped into their personal connection that led to Harrison Jr.’s eight catches for 163 yards and a touchdown.
But it took a while for their teammates to find their respective stride.
Safety Josh Proctor’s 24-yard pick-six in the second quarter helped OSU climb out of a 10-0 deficit. By halftime it was 10-10, although trouble was still brewing.
Maryland opened the second half with a 75-yard march, capped by quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa’s 9-yard run. That made it 17-10, yet the Terps wouldn’t score again — and the Buckeyes ripped off 27 unanswered points to dominate the remainder of the game.
“It was like one of those things — OK, what’s going on here?” Day said. “But that’s the game, and you got to respond.
“So I thought we did respond well in the second half. Good rhythm.”
Ohio State’s sluggish ground game never got untracked. Perhaps it was the mysterious absence of tailback TreVeyon Henderson, who stood on the sidelines with his teammates, but no injury nor explanation was given.
Whatever the reason, the Buckeyes finished with just 62 yards rushing on 33 carries, a paltry 1.9 yards per attempt.
Such an anemic ground attack makes the play-action passing game pointless, and emphasizes the pressure on McCord and his receivers.
Fortunately, the Philadelphia product warmed to the task in the second half, with touchdown passes of 44 yards to Lexington graduate Cade Stover and 17 yards to Harrison Jr.
Meanwhile, the Ohio State defense has done a 180 from last year’s sieve that allowed big-play after big-play to a bend-but-don’t break unit that forces foes to drive the length of the field.
So far this group has been the steadying influence that’s helped the Buckeyes to a 5-0 record heading to next week’s road trip at Purdue — a site that ambushed a pair of Top 5 teams led by Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer in previous seasons.
We’re still learning about this particular edition of the Buckeyes. To this point, everything is still on the table, and nothing they do (good or bad) would really be surprising.
It’s an intriguing journey to follow.
