McCord, Harrison and No. 4 Ohio State roar back in 2nd half to bury Maryland 37-17

The Associated Press

Published 10/7/2023 4:30 p.m. EDT, Updated 10/7/2023 4:33 p.m. EDT

Tai Felton of Maryland reaches for the ball as Denzel Burke of Ohio State pursues during the first quarter. (Ben Jackson/Getty Images)

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Kyle McCord passed for 320 yards and two touchdowns, Marvin Harrison Jr. had eight catches for 163 yards and a score, and No. 4 Ohio State scored 27 straight points in the second half to beat Maryland 37-17 on Saturday.

The Buckeyes didn’t lead until Jaden Fielding kicked a field goal to put them up 20-17 late in the third quarter.

After a Maryland punt, McCord tossed a 44-yard TD pass to tight end Cade Stover. The Terps gave up the ball on downs on their next possession, and four plays later McCord found Harrison for a 17-yard touchdown to push the Ohio State lead to 34-17.

A late 41-yard field goal capped the scoring in a Buckeyes win that certainly didn’t look certain through three quarters.

Maryland’s Taulia Tagovailoa was 21-for-41 for 196 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score. He was intercepted twice, the first a 24-yard pick six by Josh Proctor in the second quarter that gave the Buckeyes their first touchdown.

Chip Trayanum was the main running back for the Buckeyes with TreVeyon Henderson sidelined for undisclosed reasons. Trayanum was mostly bottled up by the Terps, carrying 20 times for 61 yards, including a 4-yard TD in the third quarter.

The Buckeyes were slow to get going and fell behind 10-0. Proctor’s interception return and Fielding’s 24-yard field goal created a 10-all tie at half.

The Terps took the lead again early in the second half when Tagovailoa picked his way through traffic from 9 yards out for a touchdown.

The Buckeyes then went to work, with McCord connecting with Emeka Egbuka and Julian Fleming to set up Trayanum’s 4-yard touchdown run around right end. It was all Buckeyes the rest of the way.

The takeaway

Maryland: The Terps entered the game having won each of their first five games by at least 18 points, and they looked capable of pulling the upset before Ohio State’s superior depth took over.

Ohio State: The Buckeyes mounted a great rally after a sluggish start and continued issues with the run game. McCord hit some critical passes, and the Buckeyes’ defense held Maryland to 106 rushing yards and managed to contain Tagovailoa.

Poll implications

Ohio State shouldn’t move much, if at all.

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