Ohio State pushes past early threat to crush Maryland, 37-17

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A pall stretched across Ohio Stadium with 11:03 remaining in the third quarter Saturday as the crowd of 104,974 was stunned to see their beloved Ohio State trailing for a second time. 

They'd already stomached some early frustration when the Buckeyes erased an early 10-point deficit to reach the locker room deadlocked with Maryland, an upset-minded bunch seeking its first road win against an opponent ranked in the top five of the Associated Press poll since 1950. But the 9-yard touchdown run from Terrapins quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa to begin the third quarter saddled Ohio State with yet another deficit. The game hung in the balance; the hopes of a Big Ten championship did, too.

As if from nowhere, head coach Ryan Day's team roared to life by scoring 27 unanswered points from the 8:56 mark of the third quarter through the final horn. The defense created takeaways, the offense turned to its most dangerous weapon, and what felt like a potentially calamitous afternoon ended with a lopsided result: Ohio State 37, Maryland 17. 

Here are some quick takeaways from Columbus:

Player of the game

The overarching opinion from Saturday's game is likely to be that nobody on Ohio State's offense played particularly well — other than wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., the best receiver in college football. 

Harrison caught eight passes for 163 yards and a touchdown against a Maryland secondary that was without top cornerback Tarheeb Still (three interceptions) due to injury. Quarterback Kyle McCord targeted Harrison on 15 of his 29 total attempts. 

The wideout offered a menagerie of highlight reel plays: from the 58-yard reception on a deep route to his leaping snag on a throw lobbed over the top of a defender; from his unbelievable body control on a 37-yard pass along the sideline to his back-to-back touchdown receptions on consecutive snaps in the fourth quarter when a penalty wiped away the first. 

The Terrapins had no answer for one of the best weapons in the country. 

Play of the game

A failed fake punt by the Buckeyes on their opening possession gave Maryland the ball with excellent field position at the Ohio State 30-yard line. Immediately, offensive coordinator Josh Gattis and co-offensive coordinator Kevin Sumlin pushed the pace with three passes in their first four plays.

A misdirection touch pass from Tagovailoa to tight end Corey Dyches gained 15 yards to move the chains and nudge the Terrapins into the red zone. Two snaps later, Tagovailoa rifled a throw toward wideout Kaden Prather in the back of the end zone. Despite tight coverage from cornerback Davison Igbinosun, whose hand-fighting efforts locked up the receiver's right arm, Prather snared the pass with his left hand for a breathtaking 15-yard score that silenced the Ohio Stadium crowd. Prather pinned the ball to his midsection to maintain control as he fell to the turf. 

It was Prather's team-high fourth touchdown reception of the season in his first year with the program after transferring from West Virginia. He finished the game with three catches for 49 yards.

Turning point of the game

Critical time-management errors by head coach Mike Locksley and quarterback Tagovailoa cost Maryland the chance to kick a field goal in the waning seconds of the first half as Ohio State reclaimed momentum in the form of an unexpected stop. Buckeye defenders leaped in the air and screamed when the clock finally expired.

But the idea that Maryland, which entered as a heavy underdog, would wilt to begin the second half was quickly disproved in the form of a nine-play, 75-yard scoring drive on its first possession of the third quarter to take a 17-10 lead. The Buckeyes answered in kind with a lightning-quick touchdown drive of their own thanks to completions of 19 yards and 37 yards to augment a pass interference penalty drawn by Marvin Harrison Jr.

It was then that Tagovailoa finally cracked by tossing his second interception of the game on a reckless throw that highlighted his inconsistent decision-making. Tagovailoa swirled away from two Ohio State defenders in the backfield and could have either thrown the ball out of bounds or jogged to the sideline himself. Instead, Tagovailoa attempted an ill-advised pass across his body that needed to clear safety Lathan Ransom to reach its intended target.

The pass never had a chance, and Ransom returned an easy interception 15 yards into Maryland territory. The ensuing Ohio State drive ended with a 24-yard field goal that proved to be the winning score.

Key stat

Even though his team pulled away in the fourth quarter, Day is certain to spend the next few days answering questions about his offense's subpar performance for what amounted to three and a half quarters. The reason Saturday's game was close on an afternoon when defensive coordinator Jim Knowles' group forced three turnovers and largely held up its end of the bargain is because the Buckeyes were anemic on third down: 1-for-7 in the first half as they fell behind 10-0.

And the issues were wide-ranging. A breakdown in protection on Ohio State's first possession left McCord spinning from defenders in the backfield before misfiring on a deep pass that landed out of bounds. McCord held the ball a touch too long on Ohio State's second possession and absorbed a third-down sack when defensive lineman Donnell Brown beat right tackle Josh Fryar. A completion to Harrison on third-and-7 left the receiver one yard short of the marker. The Buckeyes rushed for minus-3 yards on their first two third-down runs of the game.

All told, Ohio State failed to score on its opening five possessions after turning the ball over on downs and then punting on four consecutive drives. It was a stark contrast from the Terrapins' highly efficient performance on third down with six conversions on their first 12 attempts.

What's next for Ohio State?

There will be plenty for Day and his offensive coaching staff to address during practice next week after Saturday's sloppy performance against Maryland. The offensive line needs work, there are accuracy problems for McCord, and the only wide receiver who seems to find success downfield is Harrison. But the good news for Ohio State is that next week's trip to Purdue pits the Buckeyes against one of the least effective defenses in the Big Ten. The Boilermakers entered the weekend ranked 95th in total defense (398.2 yards per game), 101st in scoring defense (29.6 points per game), and 120th in opponent third-down conversion rate (46.6%). A showdown with Penn State looms on Oct. 21.  

What's next for Maryland?

The Terrapins proved how dangerous they can be by taking Saturday's game to the Buckeyes for most of the first half. Locksley's team began the season 5-0 for the first time since 2001, and the rest of October presents a chance to reach bowl eligibility before Halloween. Next week's home game against Illinois comes at a time when the Illini are in free fall with four losses in their last five, all of which were by double digits. Maryland's open date is scheduled for Oct. 21 before traveling to Northwestern to end the month. And with late-season games against Nebraska and Rutgers still to come, the Terrapins have a legitimate shot at reaching nine regular season wins for the first time since 2003. 

Michael Cohen covers college football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. Follow him on Twitter at @Michael_Cohen13.