Ohio State vs. Maryland score: No. 4 Buckeyes surge past Terrapins late to avoid upset at home

The Buckeyes were shaky through most of the game but came alive in the fourth quarter to remain undefeated

No. 4 Ohio State avoided a midseason setback Saturday, slamming the door on an upset-minded Maryland team in a 37-17 win at home. The Terrapins had the Buckeyes staggering a bit early in the third quarter with a 17-10 lead after a long touchdown drive to open the second half, but Ohio State's depth took over from there. 

After falling behind by a touchdown, the Buckeyes embarked on a 27-0 scoring run. Quarterback Kyle McCord, who finished the first half with seven incompletions, 126 passing yards and no touchdowns, came alive over the final 30 minutes. He fed the ball to wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and tight end Cade Stover, who combined for 229 receiving yards and had both of Ohio State's receiving touchdowns. 

Despite the lopsided scoring total, it's Ohio State's defense that deserves most of the credit. The Buckeyes had one lackluster drive, allowing Maryland's nine-play, 75-yard scoring march to open the second half, but they were dominant outside of that. 

Not counting drives that started in Ohio State territory, Maryland only crossed the 50-yard line once in the second half and four times the entire game. Defensive back Josh Proctor scored OSU's only first-half touchdown by returning a Taulia Tagovailoa interception for a pick six. Ohio State also held Maryland to 8 of 19 on third downs and 0 for 1 on fourth-down attempts. Maryland averaged just over 4 yards per play in the second half in the failed attempt at the upset. 

[Oct 7, 2023 at 2:37 pm ET · Will Backus]

Ohio State's defense stepping up

Early 3Q: Ohio State 17, Maryland 17

Ohio State has only had one lackluster drive on the defensive side of the ball, when it allowed Maryland to march down the field and score a touchdown to start the second half. Otherwise, the Buckeyes are smothering Maryland's offense. Terrapins quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa just threw his second interception of the game, with defensive back Lathan Ransom leaping into the air to nab a pas out of the air before it could reach the receiver. Ransom's play gives Ohio State the ball on Maryland's 38-yard line. 

[Oct 7, 2023 at 2:29 pm ET · Will Backus]

Ohio State answers

Early 3Q: Ohio State 17, Maryland 17

It didn't take long for Ohio State to match Maryland's second-half opening touchdown drive. After a first-half filled with ineffective football, the Buckeyes came out firing on all cylinders. They got a pass interference call on their first offensive play in the third quarter and then Kyle McCord hit Emeka Egbuka for a gain of 19. McCord then underthrew Julian Fleming on what should have been a walk-in touchdown, but Fleming made a great adjustment for a sliding catch for a gain of 37 yards. Chip Trayanum finished the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run, waltzing untouched into the end zone. The whole drive took two minutes. 

[Oct 7, 2023 at 2:20 pm ET · Will Backus]

Maryland strikes first

Maryland got the ball to start the second half and did exactly what it needed to do to establish momentum. The Terrapins methodically worked the ball to Ohio State's 9-yard line, thanks to some strong rushing from running back Roman Hemby and a big pass-play connection between Taulia Tagovailoa and Jeshaun Jones. Then, on second-and-9, Tagoviloa rushed right through the middle of his own offensive line and into the end zone almost untouched to put the Terps up 17-10. 

[Oct 7, 2023 at 2:15 pm ET · Will Backus]

Ohio State's offense hitting rare lows

Ohio State got all of its first-half points from the defense and special teams. While that was good enough to create a 10-10 tie at halftime, it marked the first time since 2016 that the Buckeyes went two-straight games without an offensive touchdown in the first half. Ryan Day wasn't even on Ohio State's coaching staff in 2016. Fortunately for the Buckeyes, the offense went scoreless in the first half against Notre Dame last week and roared back over the final 30 minutes, anchoring a 17-14 win. 

[Oct 7, 2023 at 2:10 pm ET · Will Backus]

Maryland starts the second half

Maryland gets the ball to start the second half. The Terrapins are hoping to shake off a bad end to the first half, in which they fumbled a perfect opportunity to score, and generate some momentum on their first drive. Maryland was held scoreless for the last 13 minutes of the second quarter, while Ohio State was able to generate 10 points of its own to tie the game up. Maryland's last four drives ended with an interception returned for a touchdown, two punts and then the clock ran out with the ball in the red zone.