Five Things to Know About Maryland, Ohio State's Fourth Opponent of the 2020 Season

After the Terrapins suffered a 43-3 blowout loss in their season opener against Northwestern, they’ve strung together back-to-back wins against Minnesota and Penn State to take a winning record into this week’s game against the Buckeyes.

MARYLAND TERRAPINS

2-1 ROSTER / SCHEDULE

3:30 P.M. – SATURDAY, NOV. 14 MARYLAND STADIUM COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND

B1G NETWORK FOX SPORTS GO

The Buckeyes are favored to win Saturday’s game by nearly four touchdowns, and Maryland has never beaten Ohio State in six tries. But considering that the Terrapins have put up 80 points and 1,080 yards of offense between their last two games, they will present a test for an Ohio State defense that has had some hiccups in its first few games.

We take a closer look at the Terrapins’ start to the season and some of the players who have helped them win their last two games in Five Things to Know about Ohio State’s fourth opponent of the year.

Best Big Ten Start Since 2014

In its first year in the Big Ten in 2014, Maryland won two of its first three conference games and went 4-4 in conference play to finish third in the Big Ten East. In the past five years, however, Maryland had never won more than one of its first three conference games of the season.

Before its last two wins against the Gophers and Nittany Lions, Maryland had never won back-to-back games against Big Ten teams in the same season; even in 2014, the Terrapins never won consecutive conference games, alternating wins and losses for the entire season, which was the final season before Big Ten expanded to a nine-game conference schedule.

Thanks to its 45-44 overtime win over Minnesota and its 35-19 win over Penn State this past weekend, Maryland currently sits in sole possession of third in the Big Ten East, behind only Ohio State and Indiana.

Tua’s Younger Brother Heating Up

After a rough debut against Northwestern in which he threw for just 94 yards and was intercepted three times, Taulia Tagovailoa has started to establish himself as a clear upgrade for the Terrapins at quarterback in their last two games.

Tagovailoa, who started his collegiate career playing with his older brother Tua at Alabama before transferring to Maryland this offseason, completed 26 of 35 passing attempts for 394 yards and three touchdowns with one interception and ran for 59 yards and two touchdowns to earn his first win as a starting quarterback against Minnesota. He followed that up by going 18-of-26 for 282 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions against Penn State.

Although he has a long way to go to reach the heights of Tua, who was a national champion and Heisman Trophy finalist at Alabama and is now the starting quarterback for the Miami Dolphins, Taulia Tagovailoa has demonstrated over the last two weeks that he shares some of his older brother’s playmaking ability, which means Ohio State’s defense – especially its pass defense – needs to be ready for a challenge on Saturday.

Rakim Jarrett is One to Watch

Maryland’s passing offense isn’t only dangerous because of its new quarterback, but also because of its talent at receiver. Dontay Demus Jr., who leads the Terrapins with 17 receptions for 228 yards and two touchdowns, is a playmaker the Buckeyes should remember from past years, as he had a 26-yard touchdown against Ohio State last season and a 56-yard catch against the Buckeyes in 2018. Jeshaun Jones, who also scored a touchdown against the Buckeyes in 2018, has 152 yards and a touchdown on just nine catches this season after missing 2019 with a torn ACL.

The wide receiver who could pose the biggest threat to the Buckeyes’ secondary on Saturday, however, is true freshman Rakim Jarrett, who’s coming off a breakout game against Penn State in which he caught five passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns.

A five-star prospect who chose to stay in his home state over offers from Ohio State and most of college football’s other marquee programs, Jarrett was the highest-rated recruit to sign with Maryland since Stefon Diggs, and he’s already emerged as an instant difference-maker for the Terrapins’ offense just three games into his collegiate career.

Shaky Defense Made Strides Against Penn State

Maryland’s defense isn’t likely to scare Justin Fields and Ohio State’s offense, especially with the way the Terrapins played on that side of the ball in their first two games of the season. They gave up 43 points on 537 yards against Northwestern and 44 points on 451 yards against Maryland, allowing well over six yards per play in both games.

Against Penn State, however, the Terrapins’ defense made real strides. They held Penn State to just 19 points and under five yards per play in a game where the Nittany Lions ran 93 plays and had just 94 rushing yards, and they forced three turnovers, including a fumble forced by Nick Cross that Chance Campbell returned for a 34-yard defensive touchdown.

Campbell has emerged as the star of Maryland’s defense this season, currently ranking second in the entire Big Ten with 33 total tackles and third in the conference with 4.5 tackles for loss. Cross, the second-highest-rated recruit on Maryland’s roster, is the Terrapins’ top playmaker on the back end of their defense; the highly touted safety has recorded 19 total tackles with an interception and two additional pass deflections this year.

Chance Campbell has been one of the Big Ten's most productive defenders so far this season. Tommy Gilligan – USA TODAY Sports

Still Seeking First Win Against Buckeyes

If you’re feeling anxiety about Ohio State’s trip to College Park this weekend, it’s probably because you remember what happened the last time the Buckeyes played in Maryland Stadium in 2018, when they escaped an upset loss to the Terrapins by the slimmest of margins, winning 52-51 in overtime after an unsuccessful 2-point conversion attempt by Maryland.

Other than that, though, the Buckeyes have been completely dominant in their now-annual games against the Terrapins, winning the six games they’ve played against Maryland by an average of 36 points. Ohio State has scored at least 49 points in all six matchups, and except for the 2018 game, the scarlet and gray have won each of the other five games by 21 points or more, including a 73-14 rout at Ohio Stadium last year.