Ohio State Football: QB By Committee Helps Buckeyes Roll Maryland
By Joe Russo
Oct 10, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back Jalin Marshall (17) catches a touchdown pass during the third quarter versus the Maryland Terrapins at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
About The Buckeyes
We knew changes were going to be made to the offense to take advantage of red-zone opportunities. But Ohio State went 6-for-6 in the red zone with six touchdowns, doubling their season total.
The move to Barrett in the red zone appears to have paid off. His ability to be a true running threat forces the defense to adjust. Aside from Cardale Jone’s touchdown to Braxton Miller from the 19, it was Barrett that engineered those scores.
Despite the red zone success, the run blocking had major issues today. Elliot had been averaging over 7.0 yards per carry heading into the game. But against Maryland, that averaged dropped to 5.0 yards per carry.
Perhaps the second half success showed that Ed Wariner made the needed adjustments in the trenches, but the Maryland defense had been outmatched all season. The first half issues need to be cleaned up against the likes of Michigan State and Michigan down the stretch.
Ever notice the drum major's twirl of the baton through goal posts? More behind-the-scenes: http://t.co/EKCEkSwCrh pic.twitter.com/0GpHWeJon1
— Ohio State (@OhioState) October 10, 2015
The Silver Bullets have saved the offense a few times this season already. But if they don’t get better against the run, the aforementioned Big Ten challengers will have every opportunity to knock off the Buckeyes. Perry Hills, the Terrapins quarterback, had an impressive day on the ground. Maryland found creative ways to get him in space and lot of those yards came as the pass rush forced Hills out of the pocket, but the Buckeyes defense has been vulnerable to the run all season, especially up the middle.
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