Bulletpoints: Maryland
Thoughts on Ohio State's 45-16 win over Maryland.
- Ryan Day's frustration on the sideline and in his postgame presser says all you need to know about this game. On an afternoon where a handful of major contributors were out of the lineup, I imagine what Day wanted to see more than anything was a clean game. Something Ohio State could build on heading into Indiana next week. Eight penalties plus two turnovers –one of which Maryland scored on– didn't produce that by any means. You'll be unsurprised to see that I agree with Day saying their performance in those areas against the Terps isn't, "The sign of a good team." This was a game that was only close for a moment in the second quarter because of the Buckeyes' sloppiness. It's easy to get away with that then pull away against a team like Maryland. It's the kind of stuff that'll doom them if they do it against the Hoosiers.
- To their credit, both sides of the ball –and even special teams– picked it up and put it out of reach after Maryland made it 14-10. The offense produced three quick scoring drives, the defense only allowed eight yards on 15 plays over the next two Terps drives, and the punt return unit sniffed out one of the most bizzare fakes I've seen in a minute. That was the deciding sequence of the game.
- This was the best game the defense has played so far this season. Outside of Maryland's 75-yard TD drive, they allowed just 109 total yards. It's not what it was last year, but it does seem like Matt Patricia finally has a true feel for what this defense is, and the things that his players do best.
