COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — It took Ohio State all four quarters, but the Buckeyes were able to put away a feisty Maryland team looking for an upset.

OSU trailed going into the half but managed to post 33 points in the second half, pulling out a 43-30 win in College Park.

Fourth Quarter

Maryland went back to the tempo it employed for a good part of the first half and moved the ball to the Buckeyes’ 10-yard line, benefited by a pass interference penalty. A Tagovailoa keeper off an RPO cut the deficit, and a two-point conversion pass from Tagovailoa to Copeland made it a six-point game just into the fourth quarter. The Terps went 75 yards in just five plays.

OSU got a great kickoff return from Xavier Johnson to its own 47, and navigated 53 yards in four plays, the capper being a third touchdown from Hayden on a 13-yard run. Maryland blocked the extra point and returned it for a score, keeping the margin at 10 points.

Maryland got a big play when Rakim Jarrett latched on a pretty throw by Tagovailoa, good for 49 yards to the OSU 9, and on fourth down at the 2 Tagovailoa was able to extend the play by rolling right and found Jeshaun Jones in the back of the end zone for a touchdown.

Ohio State is losing the battle up front as Maryland is bringing pressure to force Stroud off his spot and make errant throws. A fourth down throw to Harrison Jr was incomplete, giving the Terps the ball at their own 42 with 6:36 remaining. Ohio State was able to force a punt, which Maryland killed at the Buckeyes 12 yard line with 5:54 left to play.

Ohio State was looking at a third-and-five at its own 31, but Maryland jumped into the neutral zone for an offside penalty and kept the driving going. Hayden burst around the right end for an 18-yard gain on first down and has 138 yards and three touchdowns. OSU was forced into a third-and-seven and Stroud fired a rocket to a sliding Egbuka for 10 yards and a first down.

OSU faced a fourth-and-three with 47 left to play and Maryland with no timeouts remaining and got a 45-yard field goal from Ruggles with 42 seconds to play.

Zach Harrison got to Tagovailoa on first down and second down, the latter forcing the ball into the air and into the arms of Steele Chambers, who waltzed two yards into the end zone. Tagovailoa appeared to suffer a leg injury on the play.

Maryland brought great effort but in the end, it wasn’t enough as Ohio State scored on every series of the second half.

Ohio State moves to 11-0, 8-0 in the Big Ten, and can now turn the page to focus on archrival Michigan.

FINAL STATS

OHIO STATE PASSING: Stroud 18-30, 241 yards, TD

MARYLAND PASSING: Tagovailoa 26-36, 293 yards, 2 TD

OHIO STATE RUSHING: Hayden 27-146, 3 TDs

MARYLAND RUSHING: Hemby 11-39; Tagovailoa 10-12, TD

OHIO STATE RECEIVING: Egbuka 6-84; Harrison Jr 5-68; Henderson 1-31, TD

MARYLAND RECEIVING: Demus Jr 5-67; Dippre 4-30, TD; J. Jones 3-13, TD

TOTAL YARDS: OHIO STATE 401 yards, 241 passing, 160 rushing; MARYLAND 402 yards, 318 passing, 84 rushing

Third Quarter

Maryland picked up one first down on its opening second-half drive, but the Buckeyes used a Double A-gap blitz and forced Tagovailoa to get rid of the football early.

For the second week in a row, Lathan Ransom stretched out to block a Maryland punt, giving the Buckeyes the ball at the Maryland 21. Ransom also made two plays on the Maryland drive.

Dallan Hayden broke off two runs, of 8 and 13 yards, the second hitting paydirt and reclaiming the lead for the Buckeyes.

The momentum continued for Ohio State as it forced a Maryland punt, which died at the Buckeyes’ 35-yard line. Two plays that brought heat and a nice pass deflection by Cam Brown were key in throwing Tagovailoa off rhythm.

Stroud made his best throw of the day, finding Emeka Egbuka on a slot fade right over the shoulder for a first down to the Maryland 14-yard line. Ohio State wasted the prosperity, sending a blitz to the right on an O-line that was sliding left, forcing Stroud into an intentional grounding call. That meant settling for a Ruggles field goal, which he made from 47 yards.

A loss on first down was overcome when Tagovailoa tucked it and ran, picking up 26 yards to midfield. OSU brought the heat on third down and long, Tuimoloau getting the initial pressure and Tommy Eichenberg making the sack.

The Buckeyes committed to the run on the ensuing drive, Hayden getting it on seven consecutive plays, the biggest being a 17-yard burst over the left side that took the ball to the Buckeyes’ 38-yard line on third-and-1. Stroud found Harrison Jr for 17 yards to the Maryland 31, and two plays later found Cade Stover on a crossing route down to the Terrapins three. Hayden punched it in for his second touchdown of the day on the next play, swelling the lead to double digits. The Buckeyes navigated 88 yards in 11 plays and scored on all three of its second-half drives.

Second Quarter

After a Henderson run was stuffed for no gain, Stroud went to Harrison Jr, who made a diving, extended grab at the Maryland 45-yard line that was ruled incomplete. No worries as Stroud hit Julian Fleming on a shallow cross for 25 yards on third-and-10. The Buckeyes picked up two more first downs moving into Maryland territory, sitting on first down at the Maryland 39-yard line. OSU took a real chance on first down as Stroud was flushed out and threw to Harrison Jr in triple coverage, the ball nearly getting intercepted. But officials ruled it hit the ground, giving the ball back to OSU with second down. A completed pass to Harrison Jr gained nine yards but the Buckeyes were aided by a late hit penalty, moving the ball to the 14-yard line.

A third-down pass to Harrison Jr was high and wide, forcing the Buckeyes to settle for a 33-yard Noah Ruggles field goal. OSU went 75 yards on 14 plays, eating up nearly five minutes.

Stroud has been very average to this point, completing just 7-of-15 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown, and the Buckeyes are averaging just 5.6 yards per play, well below their nation-leading 7.6.

Maryland got a big play from Dontay Demus on a jump ball, picking up 34 yards and moving the ball to the Buckeyes’ 38-yard line. Ohio State forced a third down at the 8, but Tagovailoa was decisive on a run and got to the Buckeyes’ 1-yard line. Two plays later Tagovailoa found CJ Dippre on a drag route in the left corner of the end zone for a score, giving Maryland a 13-10 edge with 3:52 left in the half. The Terps went 75 yards on 14 plays, using over six minutes of the clock.

Tagovailoa has started 14-of-16 for 161 yards and a touchdown, and one of the incompletions was a drop.

Ohio State couldn’t do anything with its next possession and punted, Maryland getting the ball at its own 11-yard line. CJ Stroud opened the game 3-of-4 but has since gone just 6-of-14 passing.

Maryland appeared to play with urgency on the final drive of the half, but a sack by JT Tuimoloau thwarted that idea.

The Buckeyes committed seven first-half penalties and seem to be going through the motions on offense.

HALFTIME STATS

OHIO STATE PASSING: Stroud 9-18, 131 yards, TD

MARYLAND PASSING: Tagovailoa 16-18, 180 yards, TD

OHIO STATE RUSHING: Henderson 11-19

MARYLAND RUSHING: Hemby 5-15

OHIO STATE RECEIVING: Harrison Jr 3-44; Henderson 1-31, TD

MARYLAND RECEIVING: Demus Jr 3-58; Dippre 3-38, TD

TOTAL YARDS: Ohio State 159, 131 passing, 28 rushing; Maryland 211, 180 passing, 31 rushing

First Quarter

The Buckeyes turned to their two best offensive weapons to rule the first drive — Marvin Harrison Jr and TreVeyon Henderson.

Harrison Jr made a wondrous one-handed grab near the sideline on first down that picked up 29 yards, while Henderson ran for 15 yards on three carries and punctuated the drive with a 31-yard catch and run. OSU covered 75 yards in six plays.

Maryland did a nice job responding, marching down the field with a good mix of run and pass. The Buckeyes bowed up and made a stop on third-and-four when Jack Sawyer sacked Taulia Tagovailoa for a loss of two yards, which forced the Terps to settle for a 31-yard Chad Ryland field goal.

A couple of penalties put Ohio State behind the chains on its next drive, which ultimately ended with a 43-yard punt by Jesse Mirco to the Maryland 43-yard line.

The Terrapins quickly went to work, using the Buckeyes’ aggression as a weapon with misdirection and quick passes to the sideline. Tagovailoa did a great job sucking in the OSU defense and then finding Roman Hemby in the flat for a 27-yard gain to the Buckeyes’ 10-yard line. Maryland made a curious call on third down by running up the middle instead of exploiting the edge, and Ryland nailed a 21-yard field goal to cut the deficit to a single point. Maryland went 54 yards in eight plays. Tagovailoa probably should have kept the ball on the read option play as there was no defender to the outside.

The Buckeyes next drive was a disaster, a first down play nearly resulting in a fumble on the exchange from Stroud to Henderson, then a false start exacerbated the situation. Runs by Henderson and Stroud left the Buckeyes well short of the first down, which meant another punt by Mirco. Maryland took over at its own 49-yard line.

Maryland took a shot on first down, but Jacob Copeland couldn’t hang on to a pretty deep ball from Tagovailoa. Copeland would have walked into the end zone had he made the catch. A holding penalty negated the play and backed Maryland up 10 yards. OSU made a stop on third and eight, tackling Hemby in the flat after a called screen pass. Maryland’s punt backed up the Buckeyes at their own 10-yard line as the quarter ended.