Maryland vs. Ohio State: Game Grades, Analysis for the Buckeyes

It looked like No. 1 Ohio State was in for another fight against Maryland, but a second-half surge that featured 28 unanswered points led to an impressive 49-28 victory.

The Buckeyes (6-0) appear to be finding themselves offensively as they piled up 499 total yards on Saturday. But the defense wasn't sharp, allowing the Terrapins (2-4) to keep things close with an aggressive rushing attack. 

Positional Unit	1st-Half Grade	Final Grade
Pass Offense	A	A
Run Offense	D-	B-
Pass Defense	B+	A
Run Defense	D	F
Special Teams	C	C+
Coaching	B-	B-

Ohio State Buckeyes Grade Analysis

Pass Offense

Cardale Jones continued his upward swing against Maryland, especially in the first half when he completed 15-of-20 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown. Michael Thomas had it going early, hauling in six receptions for 95 yards through two quarters of play. 

That momentum continued in the second half as Jones finished the day completing 75 percent of his passes for a career-high 291 yards with two touchdowns and, more importantly, no interceptions. 

J.T. Barrett saw time as a situational quarterback and completed both of his passes for 26 yards.

Run Offense

Maryland came into the game with one of the worst run defenses in the country, allowing an average of 199.8 yards per game, which ranked 103rd nationally. But the Buckeyes had a very hard time finding lanes in the first half, running for just 67 yards on 25 carries, averaging 2.7 yards per carry. 

Ezekiel Elliott was bottled up through two quarters, gaining just 29 yards on 12 carries. But just like last week against Indiana, he hit his stride in the second half. Elliott didn't break any huge runs, but he notched his 11th straight game with at least 100 rushing yards as he finished with 106 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. 

Pass Defense

It didn't look like it was going to be a good day for Ohio State's secondary early. On Maryland's first drive of the game, safety Vonn Bell bit hard on a play-action pass, leaving D.J. Moore all alone behind the secondary for a 52-yard touchdown. But the defense bounced back in a big way as Maryland quarterback Perry Hills was constantly harassed by Ohio State's vicious pass rush, throwing nine straight incompletions to close out the half. 

Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

It was more of the same in the second half. Hills completed just 37 percent of his passes for 133 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.

Run Defense

Maryland's rushing attack was ordinary in its first five games, ranking 84th nationally, but inserting quarterback Perry Hills made a difference. Fueled by an incredible 75-yard run from Hills late in the second quarter, the Terrapins piled up 135 yards on the ground in the first half alone. 

Hills continued to absolutely gash the Buckeyes in the second half as he piled up 170 of Maryland's 253 yards on the ground. It looked like Ohio State continually sold out on the running backs in the zone-read game, and Hills made it pay. 

Special Teams

Cameron Jonhston had a sensational day punting the ball, booting a pair of punts more than 60 yards in the first half. He finished the game with three punts for an average of 54.7 yards, clearly establishing himself as the star of the special teams units.

Outside of Johnston, the special teams struggled. Jack Willoughby missed a 44-yard field goal at the tail end of the first half, which gave Maryland life. Jalin Marshall had one nice punt return of 27 yards, but he let a number of punts bounce past him that he should've collected. But Ohio State did a great job of bottling up Will Likely, one of the most dangerous returners in the country. 

Coaching 

The Buckeyes were playing a team with nothing to lose on Saturday, and they struggled to contain the Terrapins and an aggressive Randy Esdall game plan. 

Urban Meyer talked about the possibility of inserting Barrett into the game as a situational red-zone quarterback this week, but it was hard to imagine that not disrupting the flow of the offense or shaking Jones' confidence. But the plan worked to perfection as the Buckeyes cashed in six touchdowns on six red-zone opportunities. 

David Regimbal is the Ohio State football Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.