College Park, MD-
That was fun, right?.
Well, I guess that all depends on who you ask. Ohio State traveled to College Park, MD on Saturday afternoon. The Buckeyes took on the Terrapins in a Week 11 conference showdown. All signs pointed to the Buckeyes cruising to yet another victory. However that expectation took a sharp turn early in the contest. A hungry and aggressive Maryland team went toe to toe with the Buckeyes. 60 minutes of chaos, penalties, lead changes, and trash talk rolled into one turned this game into a classic between the two programs
Ohio State strikes first
The Buckeyes opened the contest on the offensive side of the ball, and they did what they seem to do best: score. TreVeyon Henderson returned to action for the first time since October 29th and hauled in the first points of the game via a 31-yard TD pass from C.J. Stroud to put the Buckeyes up 7-0. From there Maryland would put up a pair of field goals from kicker Chad Ryland to pull the Terps within one point to end the first quarter.
(AP Photo/Nick Wass)
The second quarter saw a little back and forth action on both sides of the ball. The Buckeyes constructed a 14 play 75-yard drive that resulted in a field goal. Thus increasing their lead 10-6. Maryland would waste little time answering with an impressive drive of their own. Lead by QB Taulia Tagovailoa, a Randy Moss type catch from WR Dontay Demus Jr., and a costly Buckeyes defensive pass interference call, the Terps drove down the field. Maryland found the end zone for the first time in two weeks to take the lead going into halftime.
Cue the second half
Ohio State is often referred to as a “second half” team. They sure seemed to live up to the title in this one. The Buckeyes scored on five of their six second half drives including three touchdowns and two field goals. The only problem? Their defense also gave up more than enough points that prevented the Buckeyes from pulling away.
Maryland, at one point facing a deficit as much as 14 points, never faltered and scored a pair of touchdowns within four minutes. They also blocked and returned a Noah Ruggles extra point to pull them within three points. In turn making it a 33-30 ball game midway through the fourth quarter.
The Terrapins and Buckeyes defense traded blows for back-to-back stops for both teams in their following possessions. Ohio State would turn over the ball on downs and Maryland would be forced to punt less than six minutes left in the game.
On their final offensive drive, the Buckeyes would eat up the next five minutes of game clock and get a little breathing room with in a 45-yard Noah Ruggles field to push their lead 36-30.
The Terrapins, down six points, took the field for the last time with no timeouts remaining and 25 seconds left in the game. Then Zach Harrison happened. On two consecutive plays, Harrison got to Tagovailoa both times and sacked the QB for losses of seven and eight yards. The second sack was the game winner. Harrison knocked the ball out of Tagovailoa’s hands. Then Buckeyes LB Steele Chambers recovered the ball for a scoop and score. This put the game away and gave the Buckeyes a 43-30 win to escape College Park with the victory. This one didn’t come easy.
Right place, right time ⏰
Steele Chambers came in CLUTCH to secure the win for Ohio State!
(📍 @NavyFederal) pic.twitter.com/VXXJ049GgD
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) November 20, 2022
It can be speculated that the game against TTUN next week may have caused the Buckeyes to overlook the Terrapins that led to a tougher game than they were expecting. Either way, a win is a win, and you now must look forward to your next opponent.
With that being said… BRING ON TTUN
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