Recap

Ohio State’s homecoming was a warm October day that had almost 100,000 fans excited once more about the local team. After back to back wins against Akron and an improved Akron team, the Scarlet and Gray faithful witnessed the country’s best offense dominate in a game that could have been close. Entering the game, the conferences top two leaders in passing yards squared off, but it was Stroud who proved himself the most worthy. 

The Buckeyes scored on each of their first 8 possessions going through the second half, and 56 points on 56 plays. That right there should tell you all you need to know about the outcome of the game in a game that allowed the Buckeyes to flex their muscles as one of the best teams in the country. Maryland entered the game with only one loss to Iowa the previous week, but with a depleted reciever core, their offense became a little more one dimensional as Taulia Tagovailoa had limited weapons he could use to attack, and tried to make plays with his feat. The only time Maryland lead was their first possession which resulted in a field goal, and they would only score two more times the rest of the game. 

CJ Stroud had another great performance with with 406 yards and 5 touchdowns to 0 interceptions. He was not sacked, and ran the ball twice for 13 yards. He now leads the conference with 18 touchdowns and a 191.15 passer rating. 

TreVeyon Henderson showcased his multifaceted game both on the ground and with his hands. He carried the ball 16 times for 102 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also had 4 catches for 67 yards and a touchdown. Master Teague and Marcus Crowley backed up Henderson once more this week as Miyan Williams was out for the second straight week. 

Chris Olave was a cheat code once more for the offense as he had 7 catches for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns. Jaxon Smith-Njigba was second on the team in yardage with 103 yards on 5 catches. Garrett Wilson found the endzone twice on his 5 catches for 84 yards. 

Turning Point

Ohio State put themselves in a good position from the get go as the starters scored 56 points in 56 plays. The biggest separation point was actually set up from a big kickoff return from Emeka Egbuka, who ran for 67 yards on the return after Maryland just scored to close the gap 21-10. With the big return, the Buckeyes only needed 2 plays to score a touchdown and widen the lead once more to 28-10 and never let the game get within reach.

Star of the Game

CJ Stroud. Another game, another 5 touchdown, 400 yard game performance. He finds himself climbing the Heisman polls along with freshman running back TreVeyon Henderson, who could make a case as player of the game too.

Playoff Picture

So far the season is playing our very similar to 2014 and 2007. Ohio State now looks like it could be one of the best teams in the country, and goes into a bye week at the right time before finishing out the stretch to face against 3 teams ranked in the top 10, and a potential 4th if they sweep the remaining season and play Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game. Alabama lost to Texas A&M and are ahead of the Buckeyes in the polls, but the loss opens up some more possibilities for the teams that can make the playoff. Ohio State though just needs to take things one game at a time and win out. If they can do that, they will find themselves in the playoff for the 3rd straight year. 

Looking Ahead

Ohio State (5-1) has an open week before traveling to face Indiana (2-3) at 7:30pm on ABC.

Maryland (4-2) will travel to Minnesota (3-2) at 3:30pm on ESPN2.

Photo credit: The Buckeye Wire (USA Today)