Terrapins push OSU to brink
Buckeyes win in OT
COLLEGE PARK – More than four hours after it began, more than 100 points and nearly 1,200 yards later, it came down to a matter of a couple of feet on a 2-point conversion play in overtime between Maryland and No. 10 Ohio State on Saturday afternoon.
It was a play that interim coach and offensive coordinator Matt Canada felt his players could make, in a game he thought they deserved to win, on a stage that, unlike their counterparts on the Buckeyes, few Terps had ever played before.
After the teams traded touchdowns in overtime — a 5yard run by Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr. that gave the Buckeyes their only lead of the game and a 1-yard run by Maryland sophomore running back Tayon Fleet-Davis — it came down to Canada’s decision to win in the first overtime than than go to a second.
“It was a gut call,” Canada said later. “They were scoring, we were scoring, we had the ball. We had to make one play to win. … Obviously it didn’t work. That was my call. I don’t know if we were trying to be aggressive, I was just trying to win.”
Red shirt sophomore quarter back Tyrrell Pigrome’s roll out pass was a little off-target, too strong, too low and a few feet wide of freshman wide receiver Jeshaun Jones, who had stopped in his route and was open in the end zone.
As the ball squirted away, Ohio State (10-1, 7-1) celebrated its come-from-behind 52-51 victory before many of its fans in the announced crowd of 38,177 at Maryland Stadium that kept its hopes alive for a Big Ten East title going into next Saturday’s game in Columbus against No. 3 Michigan.
“Every game is different,” Canada said. “I made the decision before they scored. I sat with Pig and talked to him. We had two choices. Two 2-point plays, one we both liked. We called it. It was a little bit off.”
Asked about Canada’s decision to go for the win, a very “relieved” Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said, “I would have probably done the same thing if I was that coach, the way they were gaining yards on us [535] and I’m relieved we won.”