Maryland football vs. Ohio State final score, with 3 things to know from the Terps’ 62-3 loss

Maryland football dropped its third consecutive game on Saturday, falling 62-3 to No. 6 Ohio State. It seemed like things couldn’t get worse after a 59-3 loss to No. 2 Michigan last week, but against the Buckeyes, they sure did.

Maryland’s singular ray of hope came when JC Jackson picked off Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett on the game’s first drive. But a pass interference call erased that interception, and the Buckeyes had the game from then on. Ohio State’s first drive spanned 66 yards on seven plays, and ended in an easy rushing score by Curtis Samuel.

Maryland converted a field goal in the first quarter to make it 14-3, and the Buckeyes countered with 48 straight points.

Barrett sliced through Maryland’s defense easily, racking up 253 passing yards before getting subbed out in the third quarter.

The student section at Maryland Stadium emptied out by the time the Terps trailed 45-3 at halftime, but a healthy Ohio State contingent remained until the end of the game.

Maryland went through three quarterbacks, but none had a chance against an Ohio State defense that has chewed up and spit out opposing offenses all season.

Perry Hills only lasted one drive, coming out after a hit early in the first quarter. Caleb Rowe came in to relieve him and led the Terps on one good drive. It ended when referees (questionably) decided that Rowe didn’t make it into the end zone on a quarterback draw. Maryland kicked a field goal after a false start, and that was the only time the Terps scored. Rowe had 93 yards on 7-for-13 passing, and outside of his one good drive, things didn’t go his way. He threw one interception, and wasn’t able to string together completions.

Tyrrell Pigrome came in for mop-up duty in the third quarter, but there wasn’t much he could do. The true freshman completed 7 of 11 passes in garbage time, but the Terps still couldn’t get into the end zone.

Three things to know

1. Ohio State is GOOD, but this was an extreme blowout. Maryland was a 28-point underdog in this game. The Buckeyes are coming off of a blowout win over a very respectable Nebraska team, and a Maryland win would have possibly been the biggest in program history. Still, Maryland’s stretch against Michigan and Ohio State almost couldn’t have gone any worse.

2. Maryland couldn’t get anything going on the ground. The team announced before the game that Lorenzo Harrison, arguably the Terps most talented running back, is suspended indefinitely for a “student code of conduct violation.” They missed him dearly, though there is no guarantee even he would have been able to help against this Buckeye defense.

This was from the first half:

Maryland finished with 43 yards on the ground, easily the team’s worst total this season. The Terps’ longest rush of the day was an 11-yard run by Pigrome.

3. Next week gets easier, but not by too much. Maryland travels to play on the road at Nebraska next week. The Cornhuskers aren’t on the same level as Michigan or Ohio State, but, they’re still at least the fourth-best team Maryland plays this season. Things won’t be easy, but points should be easier to come by. Probably.