With its offense sputtering through the opening quarter of Saturday’s win against Maryland, Ohio State was searching for any spark to breathe energy into a lifeless atmosphere inside Ohio Stadium.

Enter sixth-year senior safety Josh Proctor.

Down 7-0 early in the second quarter, Proctor stepped in front of a throw from Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa and intercepted the pass. Proctor then raced 24 yards to the end zone to complete the pick-six, drawing Ohio State even with Maryland and helping to stave off the upset bid.

Following the game, Proctor called the pick-six a “full momentum swing” for Ohio State, and it was sorely needed to keep his team in the game when little else had gone right.

“You get the crowd into, you get the sideline into it,” he said of the touchdown. “You see everybody after that, we just feed off each other. It was definitely fun.”

The interception was the first for Proctor since the 2020 Big Ten Championship Game and just the third of his extended college career. It was also his first collegiate touchdown and provided the kind of game-changing moment that’s been a long time coming for a player whose career has rarely gone as planned after coming to Columbus as a top-100 overall recruit in the 2018 class.

After playing sparingly in 2019, Proctor was a mainstay in the defensive secondary rotation throughout the COVID-shortened 2020 season that saw Ohio State win the Big Ten Championship Game and steamroll Clemson in the College Football Playoff semifinal before ultimately falling to Alabama in the National Championship Game.

Proctor was expected to build on his 2020 performance the following year as a regular starter at safety, but a broken leg suffered in the second game quickly ended his season and left his football future in question.

Determined to return to the field, Proctor underwent a grueling offseason following surgery to repair the broken leg and eventually worked his way back into the defensive game plan. His bouts with adversity weren’t over, though, as he lost his starting job after just one game last season and was relegated to spotty playing time before being used exclusively on special teams in the final two games.

This past offseason, Proctor was faced with a decision to make about his future at Ohio State with just one year of eligibility remaining in his college career. Ultimately, Proctor decided he still had a mark to leave on the program and went about preparing to deliver moments like the pick-six.

“Everything’s coming to fruition,” Proctor said following the game. “I’ve prayed about these moments, I’ve dreamt about these moments. Sometimes, I’ve had my ups and downs, but honestly, I’m just living in the moment. I’m here now.”

Proctor has become one of the steadiest players for an Ohio State defense experiencing a renaissance after undermining the team’s national championship aspirations the past two years.

But while plays like Saturday’s pick-six certainly get the most attention, Proctor’s impact extends beyond his work in the secondary. Everything he does on the field is dripping with energy and effort, as was seen in his big hit on a Maryland kickoff returner that sent a charge through the stadium, as well as his constant motioning to the crowd to get loud as Ohio State tried to shake off a slow start.

Asked if he was more animated on Saturday than he’s ever been in his career, a fair observation, Proctor said the outpouring of emotion was simply a representation of the type of player he’s always tried to be on the field.

“That’s just me,” he said. “I like to have fun. I’m goofy, always playing around. You saw a lot of that today. I was just being myself.

As Ohio State looks to remain undefeated when it travels to Purdue this weekend, expect Proctor to continue to be a source of energy while doing everything he can to make the most of the opportunity he’s waited so long to receive.

“You just want to do everything you can to help us get off the field with a win. That’s all it comes down to,” he said.

Reach Dillon Davis at 740-413-0904. Follow him on Twitter @DillonDavis56.