It took a while for Ohio State to find any sort of rhythm on offense, but that was no problem as the defense turned in one of their most impressive performances of the season in the Buckeyes’ 37-17 win over Maryland on Saturday to move to 5-0.
Here are our picks for who was worthy of Buckeye Leaves coming out of the contest:
Patrick Engels: Coming into this game, there were questions surrounding the health of Marvin Harrison Jr., who went down with an ankle injury against Notre Dame. Those concerns were quickly forgotten on Saturday afternoon. Harrison put a sputtering offense on his back for most of the game, flashing his transcendent talent with a number of game-changing catches.
His 58-yard reception in the second quarter was arguably the Buckeyes only positive play on offense in the first half, which later led to a field goal from Jayden Fielding. Then in the second half, Harrison again broke free for another key 37-yard catch in the fourth quarter, which came on an Ohio State second-and-33, setting the team up for a Cade Stover touchdown that essentially put the game away for Ohio State.
Harrison finished off the day with a 17-yard score to put his team up 34-17, just another spectacular performance to add to his already-decorated Ohio State career, finishing with eight catches for 163 yards and the score.
Braden Moles: On a day with plenty of hard hits, no Buckeye hit harder than sixth-year safety Josh Proctor, who was a consistent thorn in the side of the Terrapins.
In perhaps his best outing at Ohio State, Proctor finished with seven tackles (1.5 for loss) and an interception (the third of his career) that he returned 23 yards for a touchdown, the first in his six seasons with the Buckeyes.
But beyond the numbers, Proctor helped turn the momentum for Ohio State, scoring his touchdown with the Buckeyes trailing in the first down and infecting the defense with physicality with several big stops.
Greg Wilson: My Buckeye Leaf goes to Lathan Ransom, who was coming off of a 13-tackle performance against Notre Dame before the off week. He showed up for the second straight game against Maryland, this time with six tackles, one pass breakup and one interception.
The interception came at a pivotal time foe the Buckeyes, with a 17-17 score in the third quarter with six minutes to go in the quarter. Taulia Tagovailoa only faced pressure from a three-man pass rush and had to roll out to the left with nobody open and Ransom picked off the pass on the run to get the Buckeyes the ball back.
They would go on to get a field goal on the ensuing drive, giving them a lead they wouldn’t give up. The secondary has been one of the brightest spots on this team, and Ransom has been a big part of that.
