Faster starts, better running game aim for Ohio State

What he chose to highlight was not too surprising in a season that has been very much about development as the Buckeyes try to get back to the top of the Big Ten with a new starting quarterback, a retooled offensive line and a new mindset on defense.

“We’ve gotta keep growing and growing, but one of the things you’re starting to see about this team is we don’t panic,” Day said after his team rallied from deficits of 10-0 and 17-10. “If it’s not going quite right, we’re gonna keep pushing forward. Maybe in the past if things weren’t going well in the first half, if it the scoreboard wasn’t turning over every couple of drives, everybody would start getting panicky. I think these guys have some poise, and I’m counting in that experience to pay off in October and November.”

Ohio State does not yet look like a team ready to again be Big Ten bully, but the Buckeyes appeared to take more steps in that direction Saturday afternoon while saving some areas to improve.

The defense allowed a pair of sustained scoring drives and another touchdown after Maryland got the ball on a short field in the first quarter.

Other than that, the high-powered Terrapins weren’t able to do much, falling for the first time this season to reach the 30-point mark and gaining only 302 yards, 152 below their season average.

Perhaps more notably for Ohio State, the Buckeyes were able to pressure standout quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa into two interceptions, and they sacked him twice.

Ohio State also had five tackles for loss and broke up five passes while continuing to prevent the big plays that sunk last season’s Big Ten and national title hopes.

“I thought that they were a step ahead just in terms of the defenses that we were in,” Day said. “He did a great job of getting them in the right calls.”

Junior defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau, who had his first sack of the season, said the defense is just continuing to trust in the scheme.

“We knew they’re a great offense, and they had a lot of things going for them, but at halftime we just had to regroup and just decide to continue to play our game and play our role and continue to get to the offense and just do our thing,” Tuimoloau said.

The offense endured a rough start before quarterback Kyle McCord and his receivers started to click, especially star Marvin Harrison Jr.

When all was said and done, McCord had 320 yards passing and two touchdowns, and Harrison had eight catches for 163 yards and a touchdown.

McCord’s numbers could have been even better had he not underthrown a couple of potential touchdown passes, but he chalked it up to another learning experience in his sixth career start.

“Not try to overthink plays, I think that’s the biggest thing,” McCord said. “Especially early on you want to make the perfect read or the perfect throw but playing quarterback you have to let the game come to you. If the shot is there, take it, but don’t force it.

“If you have to drop out of there and take something underneath, be fine with that and just kind of get into the flow of the game. Once you do that everything just slows down a tick. I think the biggest thing coming out next week and being focused on starting fast.”

While McCord had some misfires, the Ohio State running game had more.

Without big-play threat TreVeyon Henderson, the Buckeyes were only able to grind out 62 yards on the ground. Even after accounting for 20 yards lost on sacks, Day was not satisfied with that output, but he said they expect Henderson to be back in the lineup when Ohio State travels to Purdue on Saturday.

“It was one of those things where the question was if he played the game, could he have a setback?” said Day, who did not identify Henderson’s injury. “The answer was yes.”

Therefore the coaching staff opted to hold out the junior from Virginia, who played through a foot injury much of last season with varying degrees of success before having to shut it down in late November.

“Just based on how everything played out last year, the decision was made to hold him this week to make sure that he was full-go next week because we know we know a lot of football ahead of us,” Day said.

Getting back another weapon should help, but McCord wants to see the offense start faster.

“Early on I feel like we missed some opportunities or saw something a little too late, so that’s on nobody but myself,” the quarterback said. “That’s just an area I need to continue to grow on and continue to find ways to start fast. If we can replicate in the second half and do that in the first half I think that’s a completely different game. A lot of that starts with me.”

SATURDAY’S GAME

Ohio State at Purdue, Noon, Peacock, 1410