The first three years of Ohio State’s now-annual football matchup with Maryland have been one-sided, and the Buckeyes will hope to keep it that way in 2017.
Since Maryland joined the Big Ten in 2014, Ohio State has won all three of its games against the Terrapins by at least 21 points, including a 62-3 walloping in College Park last season.
This year, the Terps travel to Columbus, where they will play the Buckeyes in Ohio Stadium on Oct. 7. The homecoming game, which is scheduled to kickoff at either 3:30 or 4 p.m., will be Ohio State’s sixth game of the season.
Despite the blowout home loss to the Buckeyes, Maryland made some positive strides last season, D.J. Durkin’s first season as the Terrapins’ coach. The Terrapins made it back to bowl eligibility and finished the year with a 6-7 record after going just 3-9 in 2015.
With Durkin at the helm this year, Maryland will look to get back above .500 and make another upward move in the Big Ten East standings.
Picking up where Eric Seger left off, our 2017 Look Ahead continues with a breakdown of what the Terps could bring to the table in this year’s matchup.
OFFENSE
In its first season under offensive coordinator Walt Bell, Maryland’s offense ranked 10th in the Big Ten in total offense (377.8 yards per game) and tied for eighth in the conference in scoring offense (25.8 points per game).
The Terrapins’ key to improving their offensive production could be Caleb Henderson. A former four-star recruit (and childhood Ohio State fan) who transferred to Maryland from North Carolina, Henderson is expected to be the Terps’ starting quarterback after sitting out last season.
Henderson still has to compete for the starting job in fall camp – sophomores Tyrrell Pigrome and Max Bortenschlager both saw playing time last year as freshmen, while Kasim Hill is an incoming four-star freshman – but Henderson projects as an upgrade as both a passer and a runner over 2016 starter Perry Hills.
| Head Coach | D.J. Durkin (2nd season, 6-7 at Maryland) |
| 2016 Record | 6-7 (3-6 in Big Ten) |
| 2016 Postseason | Lost to Boston College, 36-30, in Quick Lane Bowl |
| Biggest Losses | WRs Teldrick Morgan and Levern Jacobs, LT Michael Dunn, CB Alvin Hill |
| Biggest Returnees | RB Ty Johnson, WR D.J. Moore, DE Jesse Aniebonam, LB Jermaine Carter Jr. |
| Summary | Terps should get better in 2017, but not enough to shake up the Big Ten East. |
| Matchup | Oct. 7 at Ohio Stadium, 3:30 or 4 p.m. |
The Terrapins are returning their top three rushers from last season. Ty Johnson had 1,004 yards and six touchdowns on just 110 carries in 2016, making him Maryland’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2008, while Lorenzo Harrison III had 633 yards and five touchdowns on just 88 carries. Pigrome, who ran for 254 yards and four touchdowns on 62 carries last year, could have a role in the offense even he doesn’t win the starting quarterback job.
Junior wide receiver D.J. Moore, who led Maryland with 637 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns on 41 catches last season, should be a top playmaker for the Terps regardless of who the starting quarterback is. Moore and Johnson are the only two returning players who had double-digit receptions last season, so the Terrapins will need some other pass-catchers to step up as playmakers.
Maryland’s offensive line struggled in pass protection last year, allowing 49 sacks, 10 more than any other Big Ten school. New offensive line coach Tyler Bowen is tasked with getting improvement out of a unit led by a former five-star recruit (junior right tackle Damian Prince) and a pair of four-star recruits (junior left tackle Derwin Gray and sophomore right guard Terrence Davis).
The Terrapins had a season-low 176 yards against the Ohio State defense last year. Improved quarterback and offensive line play will be the keys to a better showing this year.
DEFENSE
As a defensive coordinator at Florida in 2013 and 2014 and at Michigan in 2015, all three of Durkin’s defenses finished in the top 20 in both total and scoring defense.
Entering his second season as a head coach, Maryland’s defense has a long way to go to reach those levels.
Maryland finished 12th in the Big Ten in total defense (427.1 yards allowed per game) and 11th in scoring defense (29.5 points allowed per game) last season. The Terrapins were especially overmatched by the conference’s best offenses. Ohio State scored 62 on 581 yards, Michigan scored 59 on 660 yards, Indiana scored 42 on 650 yards and Penn State scored 38 on 524.
That said, Durkin and defensive coordinator Andy Buh – who was a late addition to Durkin’s staff last April when Scott Shafer unexpectedly resigned – both have pedigrees of making defenses better. Jimmy Brumbaugh was hired as co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach this offseason. They’ll have some solid returning talent to work with, especially in the front seven.
Maryland is expected to start four seniors across the defensive line. Defensive end Jesse Aniebonam led the Terrapins last season with 14 tackles for loss and nine sacks. The Terrapins’ top two defensive tackles have also demonstrated ability to be difference-makers; Kingsley Opara had 11.5 tackles for loss (three sacks) last year, while Cavon Walker had 8.5 TFLs (3.5 sacks).
The leader of Maryland’s linebacker corps is Jermaine Carter Jr., who had 106 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, six sacks and an interception in 2016. Maryland’s leading tackler from last season, Shane Cockerille (108 total tackles), has another year of eligibility but did not practice with the Terrapins this spring due to undisclosed off-field issues, Don Markus of The Baltimore Sun reported.
Maryland’s top returning defensive back is J.C. Jackson, a Florida transfer who recorded 40 tackles and a team-high seven passes defensed (including one interception) last season. Strong safety Darnell Savage Jr. was Maryland’s third-leading tackler last season with 59 total stops.
Consider the struggles that Ohio State had down the stretch of last season, and Maryland’s defense could be in for another rough day if the Buckeyes’ offense improves this year. There’s reason to have confidence, though, that the Terrapins’ defense will be stronger up front and better across the board in the new coaching staff’s second season.
Through its first three seasons of Big Ten football, Maryland has won only eight conference games. Durkin and his staff appear to have the Terrapins headed in the right direction with their performance on the field and their recruiting, but it’s unlikely Maryland will pose a serious challenge to the conference’s powers in 2017.
ESPN’s Football Power Index gives Ohio State a 98.5 percent chance to improve its series record against Maryland to 4-0. The Buckeyes have a clear talent advantage over the Terrapins, so they’d really have to beat themselves to lose this one at home.
The real litmus test of the Terrapins’ progress in this game won’t be whether they beat the Buckeyes, but whether they can keep the game from becoming another rout.
