The No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (11-0) defeated Maryland (6-5) 43-30 in College Park Saturday to remain unbeaten before “The Game.” Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
The No. 2 Ohio State football team likely did not travel to College Park, Maryland, expecting its toughest test of the season. But behind 33 second half points, including 16 in the fourth quarter, the Buckeyes overcame a halftime deficit to improve to 11-0 on the season.
First-year running back Dallan Hayden posted a career-best 146 rushing yards and three touchdowns, carrying the Buckeyes’ offense in the second half. Redshirt junior quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa threw two touchdowns and kept the Terrapins in the game until its final moments.
The win sets up a heavyweight matchup with No. 3 Michigan Saturday between two 11-0 programs — with College Football Playoff implications on the line. Despite Ohio State winning by only 13 points, it was the highest margin of victory for a top-five team over the weekend.
Here are the five takeaways from Saturday’s game.
Stroud duels with Tagovailoa
Third-year quarterback C.J. Stroud entered Saturday’s matchup among the Heisman Trophy favorites, yet for the first time this season, he was arguably outplayed by the opposing quarterback for the majority of the game. Stroud finished with 241 yards passing along with a touchdown, while the Terrapins signal-caller threw for 293 yards, two touchdowns and added a rushing score for three total touchdowns on the day.
Stroud relied heavily on his two main targets this season in second-year wide receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka, the duo combining for 11 of Stroud’s 18 completions. Tagovailoa found nine different receivers, highlighted by wideouts senior Dontay Demus Jr. and junior Rakim Jarrett, who caught 67 and 65 yards, respectively.
While Stroud remains tied for first in the Football Bowl Subdivision with 35 passing touchdowns, he was passed by the Southern California sophomore signal-caller Caleb Williams for Heisman Trophy favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
While Stroud’s performance wasn’t poor, the game certainly provided a lot of “wow” moments and some flaws in Stroud’s game. Simply put, those flaws may be analyzed under a microscope going into the matchup with Michigan.
Running back depth continues to pay off
While Hayden received the majority of carries in the second half, he did not start the game. Second-year running back TreVeyon Henderson rushed for 19 yards on 11 carries, all mostly in the first half.
Head coach Ryan Day made the decision to have Hayden, who scored two career touchdowns prior to the showdown with the Terrapins, carry the load after Henderson’s first game back from injury. Hayden responded by carrying the ball 27 times, a season-high for any Ohio State running back.
The Memphis, Tennessee, native rushed for all three of his touchdowns in the second half, averaging 5.4 yards per carry when the Buckeyes needed him the most. With the score 33-30 with under 10 minutes to go, Day called Hayden’s number and showed the embarrassment of riches Ohio State’s running back room possesses.
Run defense stepped up
On the flip side of the line of scrimmage, the Ohio State run defense held its own. Led by fourth-year defensive lineman Zach Harrison’s five total tackles and two sacks, Ohio State held Maryland to 2.7 yards per carry on 31 attempts.
Fourth-year linebacker Tommy Eichenberg also played a huge part in the middle of defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’s gameplan, leading all players with 13 total tackles. Redshirt freshman running back Roman Hemby led the Terrapins with 39 yards on 11 carries.
Ohio State is in the top 15 in the FBS with 107.9 rushing yards given up per game, and Saturday’s game showed the defensive front is capable of stepping up when the team needs it to.
Defensive backs playing off the line
On the other hand, Ohio State’s defensive backs notably played far off the line of scrimmage when in one-on-one man coverage. Tagovailoa averaged 8.1 yards per pass attempt and took advantage of the coverage, especially in the fourth quarter.
The Ewa Beach, Hawaii, native threw five passes of at least 20 yards and kept the Terrapins competitive up until the final minutes of the game. Tagovailoa became Maryland’s all-time career passing leader in the fourth quarter, surpassing 7,302 yards.
This came a week after Maryland was shut out by No. 11 Penn State 30-0.
Like many times this season, this did not cost the Buckeyes the game, and they head into their matchup with No. 3 Michigan 11-0. But heading into their final regular season game, these are mistakes that may cost them a spot in the CFP, especially against foes like the Wolverines.
All eyes on Saturday
Speaking of the Wolverines, the time for “The Game” is coming soon. Michigan survived a scare of its own Saturday, defeating Illinois 19-17 on a game-winning field goal in the final seconds of the fourth quarter.
Both victories set up the first time “The Game” has been played in Columbus since 2018. The Wolverines post the nation’s No. 1 total defense with 241.3 opponent yards allowed per game, while the Buckeyes average 46.5 points per game, good for second in the FBS.
While revenge is on the mind of Day’s team, revenge is best served through results. And if the Buckeyes can’t produce results against the Wolverines, more questions will linger over Ohio State’s capability to win a national championship.
