OSU report card: Whew. Big Ten title still in reach

Offensive line

Ohio State was flagged 10 times, most of them on the front five because of some sloppy execution. False starts, holding calls (two guilty on the same play) and a facemask in overtime that could have cost the Buckeyes the win. But at the end of a wild and crazy day the penalties were only a footnote as the Buckeyes amassed 688 yards, including 405 on the ground. Unfortunately, given the way the defense is playing, they may need all of that and more next week against the No. 1 defense in the land.

Grade: B minus

Running game

With the Buckeyes shorthanded from the start because of Mike Weber's quad bruise (suffered Tuesday and not disclosed until after the game), Dwayne Haskins made sure his homecoming was triumphant with his legs as much as his feet. Who would have thunk it? The only time he has been a threat as a runner, or even looked comfortable, was on a key scramble last year at Michigan. He tuned up for next week's visit from the Wolverines with 15 carries for 59 yards and three TDs, two more than he had coming in. He was a surprising complement to J.K. Dobbins, who shouldered most of the load and delivered a career day (203 yards and one TD on 37 carries). Haskins and Dobbins both fumbled, but who remembers those now?

Grade: A

Passing game

Haskins had his fourth 400-yard passing game, eclipsing Joe Germaine's record for single-season passing yards and J.T. Barrett's record for single-season touchdown passes (now 36). Had the Buckeyes lost, there would have been a lot more focus on his fumble and the pick-6 he threw at the outset of the second half to put the Buckeyes in a 31-17 bind. But he more than redeemed himself with the help of Terry McLaurin (4 catches, 118 yards, 68-yard TD), Johnnie Dixon (6 of 102) and K.J. Hill and Bin Victor, both of whom had TD catches. Victor's 3-yard catch to force OT was huge, but the biggest catch of all came in OT when the Buckeyes went for it on fourth-and-inches. Instead of running Dobbins, Haskins threw to almost forgotten tight end Rashod Perry, who had to reach to grab the low delivery. Gutsy call, better grab.

Grade: A

Defensive line

Although the Terrapins were mostly one-dimensional, that didn't stop them from running through the Buckeyes' first, second and third levels on defense. Maryland set a record for rushing against a Meyer-coached OSU team with 339 yards, breaking the record in the first half. Since mounting a pass rush wasn't much of a concern, the front four should have been able to do more to slow the Terps on the ground.

Grade: F

Linebackers

Defensive backs Damon Arnette (bad position) and Brendon White (missed tackle) were exposed as redshirt freshman Anthony McFarland scored on runs of 81 and 75 yards on Maryland's first two series en route to 298 yards on 21 carries, his second straight 200-yard game. But where was the second line of defense on these plays? Same place it's been most of the season, nowhere to be found. The defense seemed to figure some things out in the second half, holding the Terps to 16 yards in the third quarter and two touchdowns in the final two periods and OT, but couldn't come up with a big stop when it needed it. The quarterback throwing wide of an open target on the final play doesn't count.

Grade: F

Defensive backs

With quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome making his first start of the season because of injury, Maryland relied mostly on the Big Ten's third-ranked rushing attack. Maryland attempted 14 passes, completing 7 (one on a fake punt), but four of those passes went for 60, 56, 30 and 27 yards, the latter a TD. It was an especially rough day for Arnette and fellow corner Kendall Sheffield. They may have been caught focusing too much on run support. Sheffield got beat on a 56-yard bomb and also on Maryland's lone TD pass, failing to react to the ball. Arnette, sucked in when McFarland went wide on his 81-yard TD run, also got beat on a 60-yard pass and called for pass interference, both on the Terps' final TD drive of regulation. A lot of Maryland's damage was done by true and redshirt freshmen, so OSU probably hasn't heard the last from this team.

Grade: F

Special teams

We haven't heard much from Demario McCall this season, but he picked a good time to make his presence felt. With no timeouts left, it was his 37-yard kickoff return that set the game-tying drive in motion, sending the game to overtime. Up until then, most of the special teams noise was made by Maryland. Johnnie Dixon made the mistake of waiting for the Terps' first kickoff to go out of bounds. Instead, Maryland recovered at the OSU 21. LB Malik Harrison bailed the Buckeyes out with a fumble recovery moments later. So solid on kick coverage most of the year, OSU allowed a 25-yard return that set up a second quarter TD. In the fourth quarter, Maryland pulled off a fake punt that led to another TD. Punter Drue Chrisman, last week's hero, barely got a chance to take his foot out of the holster.

Grade: C

Coaching

Overtime came down to a big decision by both coaches. I disagreed with the call that worked and agreed with the one that didn't. Ryan Day's call, approved by Meyer, to pass on fourth-and-inches instead of staying on the ground with Dobbins or (I can't believe I'm saying this) Haskins worked thanks mainly to Berry's catch of a badly thrown ball. Maryland coach Matt Canada opted to go for the win, but the 2-point conversion pass was wide of the open target. There was nothing wrong with the call, just the execution. If there's any second-guessing, it's for not putting the ball in McFarland's hands there. The win doesn't get the OSU staff off the hook. Whether its scheme, execution or athleticism, we're 11 games in and the coaches still haven't resolved season-long defensive problems.

Grade: D

— Jon Spencer