Welcome to Femme Football, the Ohio State football coverage for Her Campus. Here, you’ll find an overview of this week’s game with in-depth explanation to build your understanding week by week, as well as position highlights that will teach the responsibilities of different players.
The Buckeyes steam-rolled the Terrapins 62-14 this Saturday, tacking on another conference win to Ohio State’s record, which is now 5-1 (1).
The Buckeyes’ offense was firing on all cylinders; receivers and running backs both got their hands dirty. Barrett himself passed for 261 yards, while the team rushed for 281 yards and received for 303 yards. Tempo offense (2) made another appearance, as the Buckeyes are working on that each week. Early in the game, Urban Meyer was making use of his two star running backs, Dobbins and Weber, to try out some trick plays. Stay tuned in the future to see if both running back are utilized.
The defense came to play as well. Dante Booker and Jerome Baker both had recorded sacks (3). In fact, Maryland’s quarterback Max Bortenschlager had to leave third quarter after Damon Arnette tackled him, which led to Arnette being throwing out for targeting. Baker also recovered a Maryland fumble (4) for a touchdown.
Targeting was a controversial call in this week’s game. Denzel Ward, Ohio State cornerback (5), was ejected after solid hit to a Maryland receiver. The ruling on the field was targeting, which means that the player who initiated contact made forcible contact with the crown of the helmet, or that there was forcible contact to the head or neck area of the other player. Ward did not do either of these things, but the ruling remained targeting. Damon Arnette was ejected for the same thing against Bortenschlager. This penalty also results in a 15-yard personal foul.
Special teams dropped the ball this week—literally. Maryland kept blocking extra points, but Ohio State fumbled a snap before an extra point.
This week, the position highlight goes to the defensive line. The job of the defensive line in general is to try to break through the offensive line to stop the quarterback from distributing the ball, or to put pressure on him. They are the first line of defense. Tracy Sprinkle, a defensive lineman for the Buckeyes, is a great example of a defensive lineman. Against Rutgers, he deflected a pass that led to an interception, and his name often comes up with stops and tackles.
1 5-1: Ohio State’s record is 5 wins and 1 loss.
2 Tempo offense: When the offense gets set so quickly that the defense cannot line up appropriately.
3 Sacks: Instances in which the quarterback is tackled without leaving the pocket and is still in possession of the football.
4 Fumble: When a player loses control of the ball without being down, and the other team can recover it.
5 Cornerback: This position on defense is responsible for covering the wide receivers.