Ohio State lost Chase Young yesterday after it came out that he accepted money from a "family friend" in order to pay for his girlfriend to attend last year's Rose Bowl.
Kirk Herbstreit and others have been reporting that Ohio State is expecting Young to be suspended for four games, but that will likely be reduced to two or three on appeal.
So, the Buckeyes had to make a statement today against Young's home-state team. And boy, did they do just that.
#VARSITY rolls the Terps in Columbus. Let's debrief.
Quick Breakdowns
Offense
Ohio State came out hot, as we have seen so many times this season. The Buckeyes scored 21 points in the first quarter, and scored another 21 in the second before taking out the starters at halftime.
It was an efficient, albeit inconsistent game from Justin Fields. The true sophomore threw for an even 200 yards with three touchdowns, good for a 170.8 rating. He also added a rushing touchdown.
J.K. Dobbins was finally held under 100 yards, but he still rushed for 90 (on 7.5 ypc) and two touchdowns.
The receivers were solid all day long, and Fields (and Chris Chugunov) really spread the wealth. Garrett Wilson, Binjimen Victor, Chris Olave, and K.J. Hill all caught touchdown passes. The Buckeyes offense was explosive all afternoon, and will almost certainly keep it rolling against Rutgers next week.
Defense
It was more of the same from the Ohio State defense, as well. Maryland did not score, and the Terps had a whopping 139 yards (as opposed to the Buckeyes 705).
Even without Chase Young, the defensive line was impressive. Davon Hamilton had two sacks before the starters were taken out, as did Tyreke Smith, while Tuf Borland and Malik Harrison added one.
K'Vaughan Pope had an interception as well. It was extremely pleasing to watch Ohio State's defense in this one. The team with the fifth-best missed tackle rate coming into the game, the Buckeye defense was stout despite Maryland attempting to beat the defense through a lot of misdirection.
It was another fantastic effort, and once again, it should continue again next week.
Jim Tressel's Favorite Moment
Another nooner, Jim and Ellen woke up early and headed to Perkins for a nice pancake breakfast. It was a long week at Youngstown State, with finals right around the corner for students and Jim wrapping up some administrative duties, so he hoped to watch a nice, clean game from the Buckeyes.
And boy, he was excited.
After Ohio State scored their second touchdown of the game, the Buckeyes lined up for a traditional kickoff... or so it appeared.
Jim was watching intently, like he does every single play of every single game regardless of the score, and he was especially on the edge of his seat due to it being a special teams play.
As Blake Haubiel kicked the ball, Jim noticed that it was not a traditional kick. Ellen shouted "He shanked it!" But Jim said, "No dear, this is intentional!"
And intentional it was. The ball fluttered down to Chris Olave who made the catch along the sidelines, giving the ball back to the Buckeyes. What a play it was. Jim was shocked, but had the biggest smile on his face. He was so appreciative for what Ryan Day did. I'm sure Day will be receiving a call from Tress if he hasn't already.
Underrated Things
Offensive Line
I saw Wyatt Davis maul people all day long. I didn't see a single penalty from the starting offensive line all throughout their play. While the line has been pretty solid the last few seasons, it seems like this crew is on another level.
Thayer Munford has been excellent as a true junior. Josh Myers and Davis have been great as well, while Bowen and Jonah Jackson are holding it down as fifth-year seniors. Ohio State's offensive line has been great with Greg Studrawa this year. And what a lift it has been.
Tuf Borland
Borland is a microcosm of Ohio State's defensive unit as a whole. Last year, Borland was much maligned and scapegoated for his poor play. This year, he has turned it around, and done so really kind of quietly.
After a sack and a team-leading five tackles yesterday in limited time (due to the starters being pulled after halftime), Borland has established himself as a really good player on a really good unit. And it has been a welcome sign for the Buckeyes.
Biggest Question Moving Forward
It has to be the status of Chase Young, right? We've seen reports saying he'd miss anywhere from 1-4 games, and nobody seems to know the true status of the matter.
While Davon Hamilton and Tyreke Smith (among others) certainly played well yesterday, it's a whole different ballgame when you have the best player in the country playing alongside them.
It will be a question that lingers over the Ohio State program until it is definitively answered in the form of whatever ruling the NCAA decides to go with.
