Urban Meyer hinted this week there was a possibility Ohio State would go back to a two-quarterback system. On Saturday against Maryland, the Buckeyes did just that, though it was in a bit of a different form than previous versions.
Cardale Jones was 21-for-28 passing for 291 yards and two touchdowns, while J.T. Barrett — performing primarily in red zone duty — carried the ball 12 times for 62 yards and three scores as Ohio State pulled away from the Terrapins in the second half for a 49-28 victory in front of a crowd of 107,869 at Ohio Stadium.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MARYLAND | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| OHIO STATE | 7 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 49 |
The Buckeyes gained 499 yards of total offense and were a perfect 6 for 6 in red-zone opportunities. Running back Ezekiel Elliott went over the 100-yard mark for the 11th-straight game, carrying the ball 21 times for 106 yards and two touchdowns.
Four different players caught passes for the Buckeyes as Michael Thomas led the way with seven for 107 yards. Braxton Miller also had five catches for 79 yards and a touchdown, while Jalin Marshall grabbed four balls for 78 yards and a score.
Outside of Elliott gaining just 29 yards on 12 carries in the first half, Ohio State’s offense looked to be much more in rhythm. Despite leading just 21-14, the Buckeyes had 282 yards of total offense at halftime.
Jones was 15-of-20 passing for 195 yards and a touchdown in the first half. He hooked up with Miller for a 19-yard score through the air for Ohio State’s lone first-half passing touchdown.
Maryland gained 197 yards of offense in the first half with 127 of that coming on two plays. Quarterback Perry Hills connected with D.J. Moore for a 52-yard touchdown on the Terrapins’ opening drive, then scampered 75 yards up the middle on Maryland’s final possession of the first half before taking it in from 3 yards out on the very next play.
Ohio State hosts Penn State 8 p.m. next Saturday.
| Ohio State | Stat | MARYLAND |
|---|---|---|
| 499 | NET TOTAL YARDS | 386 |
| 182 | RUSHING YARDS | 253 |
| 47 | RUSHING ATTEMPTS | 42 |
| 3.9 | AVERAGE PER RUSH | 6.0 |
| 5 | RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS | 3 |
| 317 | PASSING YARDS | 133 |
| 23-30 | COMPLETIONS–ATTEMPTS | 10-27 |
| 13.8 | AVERAGE PER COMPLETION | 13.3 |
| 2 | PASSING TOUCHDOWNS | 1 |
| 31 | 1st DOWNS | 20 |
| 13 | RUSHING 1st DOWNS | 13 |
| 15 | PASSING 1st DOWNS | 6 |
| 3 | PENALTY 1st DOWNS | 1 |
| 77 | TOTAL PLAYS | 69 |
| 6.5 | YARDS PER PLAY | 5.6. |
| 6-6 | RED ZONE | 3-3 |
| 5-11 | 3rd DOWNS | 5-14 |
| 1-2 | 4th DOWNS | 1-2 |
| 6-45 | PENALTIES | 9-63 |
| 30:24 | POSSESSION | 29:36 |
Game Notes
- Ohio State has now won a nation’s-best 19 consecutive games.
- Ohio State has now won 26 Big Ten regular season games in a row, extending its own Big Ten record.
- Ohio State is 72-12-1 all-time as the nation’s No. 1-ranked team and 55-4 as a No. 1 team vs. unranked opponents.
- Urban Meyer improves to 148-26 in his career and maintains the highest winning percentage (.851) among active coaches.
- The Buckeyes were a season-best 6 for 6 in the redzone against Maryland, with all six drives resulting in touchdowns.
- J.T. Barrett recorded the first three-touchdown game of his career. He scored his first three touchdowns of the year and now has 14 for his career.
- Ezekiel Elliott extended his streak to 11-consecutive 100-yard rushing games. He finished with 106 yards and two touchdowns, giving him 10 rushing touchdowns on the year.
- Elliott also finished the afternoon with season highs of six receptions and 47 yards.
- With his 19-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter, Braxton Miller extended his Ohio State record to 87 touchdowns responsible for.
- Miller hauled-in a season-high five passes and tied a season high with 79 yards. His TD grab in the second quarter was his second of the year and his first since the season-opener against Virginia Tech.
- Jalin Marshall’s 48-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter marked his second touchdown grab of the season and eighth of his career.
- Cardale Jones completed a career-high 21 passes for a career-best 291 yards.
- Junior receiver Michael Thomas recorded the first 100-yard receiving game of his career as he finished with 107 yards on a season-high seven receptions.
- Thomas has now caught a pass in 22 consecutive games in which he has played.Tyvis Powell notched his second interception of the season and the seventh of his career.Freshman Sam Hubbard recorded the first interception of his career.
- Sophomore Tyquan Lewis had a team-high 2.5 tackles for loss in the game, including a career-high two sacks. He pushes his team highs in both categories to 5.5 sacks and 9.0 tackles for loss on the year.
- Defensive end Joey Bosa notched his first solo sack of the year to go along with a career-high four QB hurries.
- Punter Cameron Johnston came into the game with a B1G best 46.28 yards per punt and averaged 54.7 yards on his three kicks today. That is his highest average this year and the third highest of his career.
