5 things we learned about Ohio State after the win over Maryland

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There was no letdown on Saturday for Ohio State. After a dominating win against Iowa last week, the Buckeyes returned home for a homecoming affair against a struggling Maryland team and were impressive again. Jeremiah Smith had two more jaw-dropping touchdowns, the defense played well, and the running game got cranked up behind Bo Jackson en route to a 45-16 victory.

After every Ohio State game, we like to reflect and pull out some things we observed and perhaps learned about Ohio State, and we're doing the same here, one game before a major clash with undefeated, defending College Football Playoff national champion Indiana next Saturday.

Here are five things we think we learned about Ohio State after the blowout win over the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday afternoon.

Too much pressure on Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin

It wasn't all rosy on Saturday; in fact, there are quite a few things head coach Ryan Day is not going to be happy about. One of those was how often quarterback Julian Sayin seemed to be under duress. Maryland has an underrated front line on defense, but there were far too many pressures on the OSU quarterback, and it resulted in some rushed throws, some misfires (13-of-21), some sacks, a fumble, and an interception.

That might be fine against a team like Maryland, but against a better defense like Indiana next week, the margin won't be as wide, and the mistakes will be amplified. Clearly, the injuries on the offensive line don't help, but neither do some of the missed assignments we saw. Let's hope some of that is sorted out over the prep week.

The running game is coming along for Ohio State

It's now two weeks in a row that Ohio State has rushed for more than 200 yards. In this one, Bo Jackson was the star, carrying the ball 23 times for 107 yards (4.7 avg.). Maryland provided quite a bit of resistance, but Jackson and company ran hard through contact, finished off runs, and even broke a long one for a touchdown.

It doesn't get any easier from here on out, and if Ohio State has designs on winning the Big Ten and contending for a national championship, it has to be even better. We're seeing signs of development and improvement, though, even without the starting offensive line being healthy, so that's a positive development heading into next week in Bloomington.

The Ohio State defense backed up last week with a solid performance

In the first four games of the season, the Ohio State defense looked like it was still under a remodel, and rightfully so after losing so many guys to the NFL, many at the top of the draft. The defensive line was allowing too many blockers into the second level; assignments were being missed, including run fits, and guys weren't getting off blocks and taking correct angles.

Last week against Iowa was much, much better against a physical opponent, and that was followed up with another solid showing this week. The Buckeye defense allowed just 146 yards of offense and really just one long drive that resulted in a score out of the 16 points on the board. Being able to contain a mobile quarterback was also a big plus because that'll be a goal against other teams down the road. Hopefully, this type of effort continues against Indiana and beyond.

Penalties were a problem for Ohio State

Also in the bucket of being able to get away with against a less-than-stellar opponent was the number of penalties we saw from Ohio State. The Buckeyes committed eight penalties for 65 yards, many of them key ones that extended drives or took away from good plays. Again, it wasn't really going to hurt against the Terrapins, but that lack of discipline will be a problem down the road against quality opponents.

There were a lot of new players involved in the game today because of injury and depth, but that might have to still be the case in games going forward. Day was noticeably upset about the penalties and mental mistakes because coaches always coach, but in this case it's a real concern as we get to the midpoint of the regular season.

Special teams took a step forward for Ohio State

Special teams haven't been so special so far this season, so much so that Day called that out at this week's press conference leading into the game against Maryland. From guys making bad decisions on returning kicks to missed field goals to coverage issues, things need to get better.

At least in this one, things were much better. Yes, there were still some mistakes (running into the kicker), but Connor Hawkins made a 40-yard field goal, Phillip Bell had an explosive punt return, and Maryland's fake punt was spoiled and stopped short of getting a first down. That's all good signs for things moving towards the positive, and the fact that it was done in some inclement weather also bodes well. Now, let's see it continue.

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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: 5 things we learned about Ohio State after the win over Maryland

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