It all comes down to Saturday, as it should.
For a while, it seemed like Ohio State wouldn't make it to the Michigan game with just a single loss. But after eking out a one-point win against the Terrapins, the Buckeyes and Wolverines will be set up to play with a Big Ten title berth on the line.
It wasn't the confidence-boosting performance that many fans hoped to see out of Ohio State, but the Buckeyes are still in the mix, and a game against Michigan awaits.
Let's take a look at this week's stock report.
Stock Up
Dwayne Haskins
Dwayne Haskins was born and raised in New Jersey, but he moved to Maryland to play high school football. So, it was a homecoming weekend for him and a few teammates – Chase Young and Isaiah Prince, among them.
He made the most of it, becoming Ohio State's single-season passing yards and passing touchdowns record-holder. He's been a revelation as a pocket-passing quarterback running and Urban Meyer-led offense, but he also used his feet and rushed for a career-high three touchdowns to go along with three passing touchdowns. Haskins won't win games with his legs, but if quarterback runs are in Wolverine defenders' heads even a little bit after his 15-rush game, passing and running lanes should open up.
He had 405 passing yards on Saturday, crossing the 400-yard mark for the fourth time in six games. Now, Ohio State's hopes against Michigan rest on him.
Underdog Urban Meyer
For the first time since Urban Meyer arrived at Ohio State, the Buckeyes will take on Michigan at the underdogs. It's also the first time Meyer will be an underdog with his team playing at Ohio Stadium. He has never lost in six games as an underdog.
Expect Meyer and the rest of Ohio State's coaching staff to drill that into the players' heads this week. Will it translate into results? Too early to know. But rest assured, every Ohio State player will know their team is not expected to win on Saturday.
Anthony McFarland Jr.
Chase Young, a former high school teammate of Anthony McFarland Jr. said it best. McFarland made himself some money with his 298-yard game.
McFarland only had two games with at least 10 rushes in the first nine games of Maryland's season and cracked the 100-yard mark twice. In the past two weeks, though, injuries have opened up more carries for the 5-foot-8 freshman running back who has back-to-back 200-yard games.
It only took him three carries to break 150 yards, and he nearly ran for 300 yards. He'll get another shot against the Buckeyes next November, then again in 2020. So, be prepared to see a lot of McFarland in the future.
Ohio State basketball
Chris Holtmann continues to impress. He's done more than anyone ever expected in his first year and a half as Ohio State head coach.
The Buckeyes entered the 2018-19 season with lowered expectations after losing Keita Bates-Diop and Jae'Sean Tate, along with Kam Williams and Andrew Dakich. It was only natural to expect them to struggle a bit after losing such key components from the team. Kaleb Wesson and C.J. Jackson were the only returning players who averaged more than 2.8 points per game.
But Ohio State has rolled teams early this season. It went to Cincinnati and beat the Bearcats by eight points, beat Purdue Fort Wayne by nearly 50 points, then went on the road and knocked off Creighton. On Sunday, it rolled South Carolina State, as expected. The Buckeyes' four rotations guards – Keyshawn Woods, Duane Washington Jr., Luther Muhammad and Jackson – have powered the team to such a good start to the season. They each have defined roles and play them with high effort and energy, which has led to a 4-0 start.
Oh, and the Buckeyes are expected to sign a pair of top-50 recruits – D.J. Carton and E.J. Liddell – today. Not bad.
Stock Down
Ohio State's defense
Oof. What an ugly performance from the Buckeye defense on Saturday.
Maryland has some pockets of talent, but it shouldn't be able to lay 51 points on a team as talented as Ohio State with relative ease. Ohio State allowed an 81-yard run from McFarland on Maryland's second offensive play of the game and a 75-yard run on the Terrapins' third play. Maryland got whatever it wanted on the ground for much of the game, and Tyrrell Pigrome even hit a few deep passes.
On their first play in overtime, the Terrapins came one yard from scoring. They went for the two-point conversion because they had diced up Ohio State's defense. Why not go for two when you've been running all over the Buckeyes? After the game, Meyer said he would have gone for two if he were in Matt Canada's position, as well.
Greg Schiano's defense has been picked apart by opposing offenses with lesser talent for the entire season. Now, Schiano will go up against one of the better offenses he has faced, and he can't afford to get out-schemed like he has for most of this season. But given how this year has gone, what should make anyone believe he'll win the coaching battle against Jim Harbaugh and Michigan's staff?
Momentum of Ohio State and Michigan
Neither Ohio State nor Michigan looked particularly dominant in their final games before taking on each other.
The Buckeyes needed overtime to secure a 52-51 win against a sub-.500 Maryland team, and the Wolverines trailed Indiana at halftime before pulling out an 11-point win with a 13-point advantage in the second half.
While watching their team nearly lose to the Terrapins, Ohio State fans surely were filled with dread about the upcoming game against the Wolverines, but Michigan didn't put on a show later in the day on Saturday. The Hoosiers racked up 385 yards, including 190 rushing yards. Both Ohio State and Michigan will head into Saturday's game coming off unspectacular prior games. Neither team has nearly as much momentum as each had at different points in the season.
