The Ohio State football team finished strong in the undefeated matchup with the Maryland Terrapins by winning 37-17.

The Ohio State Buckeyes started slow but finished fast in their 37-17 victory over the undefeated Maryland Terrapins, which propelled the Scarlet and Gray to 5-0 on the season and 2-0 in the Big Ten. The game started very slowly as Maryland jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the second quarter thanks to a 15-yard touchdown pass and a short field goal.

Ohio State rattled off 27 unanswered in the second half after trailing 17-10 early in the third quarter. The Buckeye offense started very stagnant and the offensive line, along with the running game, could not quite get going all game. The defense was the best offense in the first half and for a big chunk of the game, as the first Buckeye touchdown was a pick-six by Senior safety Josh Proctor.

Proctor had one of the best games of his Buckeye career, posting seven total tackles, six solo tackles, one and a half tackles for loss, and the much-needed interception he returned 24 yards for a touchdown. The defense held Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa to just 196 passing yards and picked him off twice with Senior safety Lathan Ransom halting a second half Maryland drive.

Maryland had 106 yards on the ground but were throwing for most of the second half as they fell behind by a few scores. Their leading rusher had just 38 rushing yards.

The Buckeye offense showed flashes but also have a lot to clean up. Junior quarterback Kyle McCord made some good throws and finished 19/29 for 320 passing yards and two touchdowns with zero turnovers. Ohio State did not throw a pick or have a ball on the ground throughout the whole game which is a welcoming sign against a solid conference foe.

Junior wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. hauled in eight catches for 163 receiving yards and a touchdown. Senior tight end Cade Stover had 66 receiving yards including a catch-and-run 44-yard touchdown to put the Buckeyes up comfortably. Senior wide receiver Julian Fleming and Junior wide receiver Emeka Egbuka finished with 45 and 40 yards respectively, as McCord soared over 300 yards passing.

The offensive line and running game both struggled and did not show any great flashes coming off a big win in which they ran very well. This was in-part due to lead Junior running back TreVeyon Henderson being ruled out Saturday morning which was unexpected by a majority of Buckeye nation. Senior running back Chip Trayanum, the hero against Notre Dame, gained just 61 yards on 20 carries but found the end zone yet again. Senior running back Miyan Williams got the rest of the carries and had 23 yards on six carries, running hard to finish out the clock in the victory.

The defense kept Ohio State in the game and many players made great plays all over the field. Besides the safeties, Senior linebacker Tommy Eichenberg had a good performance with 13 tackles, and Junior defensive end JT Tuimoloau had one and a half sacks and tackles for loss.

Maryland suffered their first loss of the 2023 season and now sit at 5-1 (2-1 in Big Ten). They return home to host Illinois next week, a game they should have no trouble winning. Ohio State has a tricky matchup on the road against the Purdue Boilermakers which kicks off at noon on Saturday, with their big home matchup against Penn State looming. It will be a good opportunity to tune up some issues and see who is performing well ahead of their biggest home matchup of the season.