Maryland-Ohio State final score: 52-24, Terps thrashed by Buckeyes

With a packed house and loud atmosphere for the home Maryland crowd, the Maryland Terrapins took to battle with the Ohio State Buckeyes in the first home Big Ten game for the Terps.

With the excitement surrounding the game, the hope was for a fast start from the underdog Terrapins, but the game wouldn't start exactly how they would have liked, with an 8-play, 75 yard drive directed by J.T Barrett ending in a touchdown to open the game.

The Buckeyes would go right down the field again on their next drive which culminated in a Barrett touchdown pass to Jalin Marshall, putting the Terps in a major hole early, 14-0.

Maryland would get on the board with a 57-yard field goal from Brad Craddock, and they would force a long field goal attempt for the Buckeyes on the next possession, getting the ball back with a chance to cut into the deficit.

It wouldn't get much prettier doe the Terps, however, as the offense went three-and-out, with Stefon Diggs saving CJ Brown on what should have been an interception.

The next series would only extend to the brutal play for Maryland, as Barrett and the offense went down and scored yet another touchdown, extending the lead to 21-3. Receiver Michael Thomas mad a spectacular play in the back of the end zone over William Likely, getting both feet down with little room to do so.

After another failed drive by the Maryland offense, the Buckeyes would go down and score more points, this time, on a 29-yard field goal to extend the lead to 24-3.

Finally, Maryland would get a drive going, using simple passes and runs to move the ball down the field. CJ Brown converted a fourth down with a run up the middle after being rushed. Aided by a pass interference call to set them up on the three yard line, the Terps finally punched the ball into the end zone with a 2-yard run by Wes Brown, closing the score to 24-10.

The Terps would finally get a stop on defense, getting the ball back for their offense with 1:22 remaining in the first half. Suddenly, Maryland seemed to seize the momentum in the game, giving them another chance to chip into the large deficit.

The momentum would be short-lived, as Brown would throw an interception inside of their own 20-yard line, setting the Buckeyes up for a short touchdown pass. Going into halftime, the Terps trailed the Buckeyes, 31-10.

CJ Brown finished the half 11/18 passing for 71 yards while Barrett finished 11/15 for 151 yards and three touchdowns. The Buckeyes out-gained the Terps 289-104 in total yards, showing the lopsided nature of the match-up.

Coming out of the half, the Terps made a switch at quarterback, replacing CJ Brown with Caleb Rowe, but the results were much of the same. The Terps went three-and-out, giving the ball back to the Buckeyes who marched right back down the field. However, the Terps defense made a goal line stand, stuffing the Buckeyes on four straight plays to get the ball back for their offense.

The offense moved down the field with Rowe at quarterback this time around, but a missed deep pass would result in an interception, and the route would continue with another deep touchdown from Barrett, putting the Buckeyes up 38-10.

Just as things seemed completely lost, the offense finally drew the fans back into it (somewhat) with a drive down the field to cut into what seemed to be an insurmountable lead, scoring on a Brandon Ross 2-yard touchdown run.

Tackling was a disappearing act for the Terps, as multiple tackles were broken on the ensuing Buckeyes drive. The drive ended with a Barrett touchdown run, one in which another tackle was missed. The route was on, as the Buckeyes led 45-17.

But just in case fans wanted to leave the game, Rowe and the offense wouldn't die just yet, marching down the field in a quick amount of time, culminating in a Stefon Diggs touchdown to close the gap to 21 points.

The defense got the stop necessary to continue to give hop for a potential Maryland comeback, sacking Barrett to set up third-and-long, giving the ball back to the offense on the ten yard line with just under ten minutes remaining. But that hope would be effectively thrashed quickly, with a ball deflecting off of the hands of a Maryland receiver and falling into the Buckeyes' hands, resulting in an interception for a touchdown to make the score 52-24.

After yet another interception, the defense made another stop, but at this point, it was garbage time with Barrett out of the game. The offense took over again on their own two yard line with just under four minutes remaining.

From there, the game ended quietly, with the Buckeyes killing the clock, putting the Terps away with ease.

While the hype surrounding the game was enough to put a lot of fans in the stands for the Terps, they were ultimately out-classed by a more talented Ohio State squad. Sitting at 4-2, the Terps will have a bye week before taking on Iowa.