Know Your Opponent: The Maryland Terrapins
October 7, 2017Cleveland Indians Versus Masahiro Tanaka
October 8, 2017Much like their game against Rutgers, Ohio State took control early and scored often in their 62-14 trouncing over Maryland. It was quite the Homecoming for the Buckeyes, who gave their fans quite a treat at Ohio Stadium Saturday night.
Quick recap
Whether it was the offense or defense, the scarlet and gray dominated on both sides of the ball against the Terrapins. The Buckeyes looked sluggish at times, but they did what they had to do not only to secure a win early, but to allow the backups to receive plenty of playing time as well. Ohio State’s offense played well, but the defense had arguably their best game of the season. Whether it was the defensive line, linebackers, or defensive backs, they all played incredibly well as a group.
The turning point
Although Ohio State had a 13-point lead at 20-7, their offense went stagnant. In three consecutive possessions following a touch to give them 20 points, a 47-yard field goal attempt was blocked, lost a fumble, and then were forced to punt.
With 4:49 left in the first half, J.T. Barrett found Marcus Baugh and the tight end did the rest of the work for an impressive 10-yard touchdown, one that made Baugh look more like an athletic receiver than a tight end. Following that touchdown, the Buckeyes scored a touchdown on the next two possessions as well to take a 41-7 halftime lead.
Top performers
J.T. Barrett: 20-of-31, 261 yards, three touchdowns; eight carries, 59 yards, one touchdown
J.K. Dobbins: 13 carries, 96 yards, one touchdown
Mike Weber: 13 carries, 59 yards, one touchdown; one catch, 53 yards
Binjimen Victor: four catches, 55 yards, one touchdown
Baron Browning: six tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss
Nick Bosa: five tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss, one forced fumble
Dante Booker: four tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss
Jerome Baker: three tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery
Top plays
J.T. Barrett takes it in himself from just one yard out for the first touchdown of the game.
Thanks to Nick Bosa getting to the quarterback and causing a fumble, Jerome Baker takes the ball and runs 20 yards for a touchdown.
When you have a receiver like Binjimen Victor, you utilize his size in the red zone. Barrett does just that and connects on an eight-yard touchdown with his wide out.
Ohio State’s top cornerback, Denzel Ward, was called for targeting and therefore ejected for this hit. You can look for yourself, but many around college football didn’t seem to think that it was targeting.
What else was Denzel Ward supposed to do here? pic.twitter.com/Kk6hvsoS4j
— Josh Poloha (@JorshP) October 7, 2017
J.T. Barrett throws a short pass to Marcus Baugh and the tight end (somehow) leaps and stays in bounds for a 10-yard touchdown.
Some trickery! Barrett hands it off to J.K. Dobbins who then flips it to Parris Campbell on a reverse and the receiver uses his speed to take it in for a 24-yard touchdown. Also, quite a nice block by the quarterback on the play as well.
It’s incredible to think that Chase Young is only a true freshman. The defensive end has a chance to be very special, and he showcased his speed and athleticism by getting to the quarterback and forcing a fumble.
Just when you think you have J.K. Dobbins in the backfield, he finds a hole and barely gets into the end zone for a three-yard touchdown.
On to the next one
The Buckeyes travel to Nebraska to take on the Cornhuskers Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. ET.
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