Although The Game looms, Ohio State must pass its 11th test of the season on Saturday and defeat Maryland before it can look forward to a battle with Michigan.
The Terrapins (6-4, 3-4 Big Ten) are a "talented and dangerous" bunch, according to head coach Ryan Day, especially when the team plays at home in College Park. Because of that, the Buckeyes cannot look past Maryland this weekend.
Led by quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, running back Roman Hemby and wide receiver Rakim Jarrett, the Terps' offense has the potential to put plenty of points on the board against any opponent. Meanwhile, defensive backs Beau Brade and Dante Trader Jr. and linebacker Ahmad McCullough lead an experienced defensive unit capable of slowing down opponents and keeping them from performing at a high level.
"Maryland's always dangerous," Day said this week. "A lot of very good athletes, and Mike Locksley is a very good coach. They're good schematically, and they've played some teams tough this year."
With only a few hours until kickoff, we provide our final thoughts, ask some questions and tab some players to watch in what should be an entertaining matchup between the Buckeyes and Terrapins.
Final Thoughts
This game won't come down to the final play
There were a lot of discussions this week about how “talented and dangerous” Maryland is as a program, especially this year as Tagovailoa returned with NFL-level receivers Jarrett and Dontay Demus out wide. But, honestly, through 10 games this season, I haven't seen either of those qualities to be true about the team.
Yes, Maryland played Michigan for its closest game this season. However, many of the Terps' struggles have come since Tagovailoa hurt his knee in that contest, and they have since lost to Purdue, barely beat Indiana and Northwestern, lost to Wisconsin – a game where Tagovailoa re-aggravated his knee – and were blanked 30-0 by Penn State last week.
Perhaps Maryland was “talented and dangerous” at one point this season, but that is no longer the case. I would say that the Terps are more “hobbled and wounded” at this point. With that said, I don't expect the Buckeyes to offer any sympathy, and I believe they will run away in this one, adding another blowout win to their resume in a final tune-up before The Game next Saturday.
- Chase Brown
One final tune-up before The Game
Ryan Day has referenced the term competitive stamina so much over the past couple of months Vegas should set under/overs on how many times he'll say it per press conference. While it's normally a pure cliche, it's probably going to apply extra to OSU's game with Maryland. Being in Columbus this week, nearly everyone I talked to had the Buckeyes on their mind, but wanted to talk about the game against Michigan on Nov. 26. It was just as if OSU had an open week before its annual rivalry matchup the way the conversations went.
But OSU can't fall into that trap itself. While the coaching staff prepares for The Game year-round, the Buckeye players can't focus on Michigan any earlier than 7:30 p.m. Saturday, as tempting as it may be. One final road win against a team that has struggled the last few weeks is all that stands between the most highly-anticipated matchup between the historic rivals in years, but OSU has to take care of business first.
- Garrick Hodge
Questions
Can Ohio State get its short-yardage running game going?
Even though Ohio State ran for 340 yards against Indiana, Day said after the game that he was “ready to bang my head against the wall” due to the Buckeyes’ continued struggles in short-yardage situations, as Ohio State went just 2-for-7 on third- and fourth-down attempts of two yards or less. Day called six runs on those seven plays, which the head coach chalked up to “probably being stubborn,” but I expect him to stubborn about running the ball in those situations again as the Buckeyes look to prove they can run for gritty third-down conversions going into next week’s rivalry game.
Maryland ranks just 66th in rushing yards allowed per attempt (4.01) and 96th in opposing third-down conversion percentage (41.5) this season, so this week’s game could be an opportunity for the Buckeyes to get things going in that area before facing a much tougher run defense next week.
– Dan Hope
Can Taulia Tagovailoa take the top off the OSU defense?
Despite having his two worst performances of the year in back-to-back weeks leading into Saturday, Taulia Tagovailoa is still one of the best quarterbacks Ohio State has seen this season. Even after missing a game, the Maryland veteran is a top-five passer in the Big Ten, and could be healthier this week after returning from injury a few weeks ago.
Meanwhile, the Buckeye defense was down a starting cornerback in Denzel Burke last week. Day said he should be ready to return against Maryland, and Jordan Hancock has performed admirably in his stead anyway, but there could be health questions to consider nonetheless. The Maryland offense has been a shell of itself in its last two performances, but perhaps it could make a few big plays against the Buckeye defense in this matchup.
– Griffin Strom
Players to Watch
Xavier Johnson
I wanted to go with Dallan Hayden here, but I imagine either Dan, Garrick or Griffin also have thoughts on the freshman running back, so I'll leave that to them. While I will still watch Hayden intently on Saturday, I will keep a closer eye on Xavier Johnson, affectionately called "Weapon X" by a few of his teammates.
For those that aren't super nerds like me, Weapon X is an alias for The Wolverine in Marvel Comics. While The Wolverine might not be the most popular name or superhero around Buckeye Nation because of how it associates with Michigan, the character is known to have super strength and reflexes with enhanced senses and healing powers. In other words, he can do it all. So can Xavier Johnson. I hope to see Day unleash Weapon X a few times on Saturday as Ohio State relies on him to be a receiver, running back and returner, contributing in all three phases of the game.
- Chase Brown
Dallan Hayden
Day’s held firm all week that Ohio State will have multiple banged-up rushers back in action this week, but I have my doubts that Hayden’s services won’t be required in College Park. The true freshman has done well when called upon this season, turning in two 100-yard games in relief duty and topping the century mark most recently last weekend. Even if one of Ohio State’s top two running backs returns against Maryland, the Buckeyes may still want to split their workload with Hayden given the health issues both TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams have dealt with for much of the year. For that reason, look for Hayden to see the field even if the Buckeye backfield isn’t as diminished as it was a week ago.
– Griffin Strom
Julian Fleming
After scoring six touchdowns in his first five games of the season, Fleming has gone cold in Ohio State’s last three games, catching only five passes for 58 yards while dropping multiple catchable balls. With Michigan on the horizon next week and Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s availability for The Game looking questionable at best, now would be a good time for Fleming to heat back up and take some momentum into rivalry week.
– Dan Hope
Denzel Burke
After missing last week's game against Indiana, Ryan Day said earlier in the week that he's hoping to have Denzel Burke back for the Buckeyes' matchup against Maryland Saturday. Should Burke get the green light, he could be tasked with guarding top Maryland wideout Rakim Jarrett, and could help on other standouts such as Jacob Copeland, Jeshaun Jones and Dontay Demus. It could be a big opportunity for the sophomore cornerback to make a statement before the Michigan game.
- Garrick Hodge
