Takeaways from Maryland football’s loss at No. 4 Ohio State

The Terps missed out on a colossal opportunity.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — In its first real test of the season, Maryland football battled No. 4 Ohio State from the opening kickoff. However, as the game drew on, Ohio State’s offense found its rhythm and Maryland’s fluttered.

The Terps saw a 10-0 lead slowly configure into a 37-17 loss, and an opportunity to put the nation on notice vanish.

Here are three takeaways from Saturday’s game.

Self-inflicted wounds proved costly

For much of the game, it felt like Maryland was in control, but it too often beat itself.

The Terps rallied to a 10-0 lead, but it should have been more. On a fourth-and-1 from the Ohio State 29-yard line, head coach Mike Locksley subbed in quarterback Billy Edwards with an all-but-guaranteed run play ensuing. Instead of lining up for a traditional quarterback sneak, Edwards received a shotgun snap and barley made it back to the line of scrimmage on a draw.

Two drives later, Taulia Tagovailoa, while attempting to hit Tyrese Chambers on a five-yard dig, threw an interception returned for a touchdown which gave Ohio State its first points of the afternoon.

“The receiver’s supposed to turn inside and he turns outside. That’s a communication issue,” Locksley said. “[Tau]lia’s a veteran player, he’s played a lot of football for us. We’ll win and lose with him, and I’ll take my chances with him because he’s a competitor.”

Then, with 12 seconds on the clock and zero timeouts remaining, Tagovailoa hit running back Antwain Littleton II on a four-yard check down over the middle of the field, squandering any field goal opportunity.

“I have all this experience and, you know, those are situations that I got to be, you know, ahead of the game with,” Tagovailoa said.

If the Terps played clean, smart football, a two-score lead heading into halftime was a probable outcome.

An offense as potent as Ohio State’s is rarely suppressed for an entire game, though, making a halftime lead critical.

And as expected, the Buckeyes’ offense caught fire in the second half, outscoring Maryland, 27-7.

Marvin Harrison Jr. had his way

Ohio State star wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is one of the best receivers in the country, and perhaps the most dominant player Maryland will face all year. He entered Saturday’s game with 17 catches for 336 yards and three touchdowns, and left with much more.

He did not catch single ball in the first quarter, though, and was held to just three catches for 31 yards through the first 25 minutes of play.

However, Harrison Jr. wouldn’t be tamed for long. A 58-yard reception opened the flood gates for not only himself, but Ohio State’s offense as a whole. That catch, followed by a 19-yard reception, led to a 36-yard field goal, the offense’s first points of the day.

Harrison Jr.’s dominance continued into the fourth quarter, when he caught three passes for 66 yards, including a 37-yard reception on second-and-33 and a 19-yard touchdown, which secured a 17-point Buckeyes lead.

“We know how talented he was, and for a guy like him to still find a way to make plays, that’s the piece for me as I evaluate how we played it,” Locksley said.

The projected top-5 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft finished with eight catches for 163 yards and a touchdown.

Maryland’s defense played winning football

The final score does not reflect the performance of Maryland’s defense.

Ohio State failed to score on its first five possessions — the first time it had done so since the 2016 Fiesta Bowl against Clemson, when it lost 31-0. Yet Maryland still entered halftime tied at 10, even with its defense surrendering just three points.

The Terps did not force any takeaways — despite entering the game ranking third in the nation with 12 — but still pressured quarterback Kyle McCord and smothered receivers. Maryland totaled three sacks and six pass breakups — each being the most in a single game for the Terps this season.

Ohio State’s 27 second-half points were also inflated, as the Buckeyes started three of their five scoring drives from the 50-yard line or closer due to Maryland’s offensive incapabilities.

If there is any positive takeaway from this game, it’s that Maryland’s defense can compete with the Big Ten’s best.