Marvin Harrison Jr. reeled in eight catches for 163 yards and a touchdown, and Ohio State’s defense made several big plays as the No. 4 Buckeyes rallied to defeat Maryland 37-17 in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday.
Harrison’s 37-yard catch on a second-and-33 brought Ohio State to Maryland’s 29, but a personal foul sideline penalty moved the Buckeyes back to the 44.
However, on the next play, Kyle McCord found Cade Stover for a 44-yard touchdown pass to put the Buckeyes (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) ahead 27-17 early in the fourth quarter.
Harrison added a 17-yard TD catch with 7:01 to play to make it 34-17.
McCord was 19-for-29 for 320 yards and two touchdowns.
It was 10-10 at the half before Maryland (5-1, 2-1) quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa scrambled for a 9-yard TD run, only to have the Buckeyes respond with a 4-yard run by Chip Trayanum at 8:56 of the third to tie it 17-17.
Tagovailoa completed 21 of 41 passes for 196 yards, a TD and two interceptions.
A 24-yard field goal by Jayden Fielding gave Ohio State its first lead at 20-17 late in the third after a Lathan Ransom interception gave the Buckeyes the ball at the Maryland 37.
The Terrapins, 17-point underdogs, raced to a 10-0 lead less than three minutes into the second quarter before the Buckeyes’ defense scored to cut the deficit to 10-7. Josh Proctor stepped in front of a pass by Tagovailoa and returned it 24 yards for the score at 9:41.
The Buckeyes were limited to 142 yards in the first half; 77 came on back-to-back catches by Harrison on a drive that resulted in a 36-yard field goal by Fielding with 1:32 left before the half.
The Terrapins took a 7-0 lead after stopping an Ohio State fake punt. Tagovailoa connected with Kaden Prather for a 15-yard TD. Jack Howes added a 21-yard field goal to make it 10-0.
The Buckeyes were without leading rusher TreVeyon Henderson (295 yards, five touchdowns) for undisclosed reasons.
–Field Level Media
