Presented by Able Roofing
A two-month grind of (at least) eight consecutive Big Ten games for Ohio State begins Saturday at Ohio Stadium.
Maryland
TERRAPINS
With its bye week now behind it, Ohio State won’t get any more breaks between now and its regular-season finale against Michigan. Having completed its non-conference schedule with its last-second win at Notre Dame two weeks ago, the Buckeyes are now set to play conference games for each of the next eight Saturdays – a number they hope will increase to nine straight Saturdays if they win the Big Ten East and qualify for the Big Ten Championship Game.
Ohio State’s ramp-up to Notre Dame featured a trio of games against Indiana, Youngstown State and Western Kentucky, in which the Buckeyes were heavily favored to win. The ramp-up to their next marquee game, a home game against Penn State two weekends from now, won’t be quite as easy.
The Buckeyes have never lost to Maryland, who they welcome to the Shoe this weekend. But Maryland has also never entered a game against Ohio State with an unbeaten record, which it has after winning its first five games of the season. So the Buckeyes know they need to be ready to go on Saturday after a week off to recuperate.
“We've got to bring it every single week,” Ryan Day said. “The number one goal is to win each game as it comes. We can't look ahead. We can't look behind. And that's an easy thing to do, look ahead at these upcoming games that are coming up, like we got these eight games ahead of us and what's coming next, or look behind at the win we had a couple of weeks ago. None of that stuff means anything. The only thing that matters is playing this week and beating Maryland, and that's where our focus is.”
The Headlines
A Battle of Unbeaten Teams
With a 5-0 record, Maryland will be Ohio State’s fifth straight opponent to start the season – and seventh dating back to last season – to enter its game with the Buckeyes with an undefeated record. It’s the first time since 1940 that Ohio State has opened a season with five straight games against unbeaten teams.
Maryland has dominated its competition so far, winning its first five games by an average of more than 25 points. The Terrapins currently rank 15th nationally in scoring offense (38.6 points per game) and 16th in scoring defense (13.2 points allowed per game), as they’ve been strong on both sides of the ball.
The caveat is that Maryland hasn’t yet faced anyone who can be considered a good team. All five of their opponents thus far this season – including Towson, an FCS school –have losing records. Maryland’s defense, in particular, remains largely untested as none of its four FBS opponents rank higher than 105th this season in scoring offense.
Still, the fact that Maryland has yet to lose a game this season or even come close to losing makes the Terrapins an opponent Ohio State can’t afford to overlook.
“They know how good this team is and how many weapons they have, and if we're not executing very well, it's gonna go all the way down to the fourth quarter,” Day said of his team’s preparation for Maryland. “So yeah, this team definitely has our team's attention.”
Buckeyes Look to Come Strong Out of Bye Week
When Day was asked Tuesday about the timing of Ohio State’s bye week, he acknowledged that it could be both good and bad. He felt it was good that his team had some time to regroup physically and mentally after an intense, emotional win over Notre Dame. But it also deprived his team of the opportunity to immediately start building momentum off of its first marquee win of the year.
That said, Ohio State has a track record of playing dominant football with an extra week of preparation. In six regular-season games after bye weeks under Day, Ohio State is 6-0 with an average margin of victory of 41 points. Dating back to 2008, Ohio State has won 18 straight games after a regular-season week off, with its last loss after an open date coming against Penn State in 2005.
While the Buckeyes gave their players the weekend off last weekend, they came back to practice four times this week – once more than they usually do during a regular-season game week – to ensure they would be well-prepared for Saturday. Day hopes to see his team get out to a fast start on Saturday to take care of business against the Terps and build some momentum before they hit the road next week to face Purdue.
“There's parts of me that like a little bit of a mental break and a physical break, but there's a part of me that wants to just keep playing and continue to build the momentum. But we'll get an idea on Saturday how we've come out of this,” Day said.
Marv to Play Through Injury
The biggest story of the week leading up to Ohio State’s return from its bye has been the health of Marvin Harrison Jr., who suffered an ankle sprain while blocking on a TreVeyon Henderson touchdown run on Ohio State’s first offensive play of the second half at Notre Dame. Although Harrison was able to return to that game on the very next possession, a case can be made that Ohio State would be smart to rest Harrison this week, considering he told reporters Wednesday that the injury is worse than the ankle sprain he played through last year.
Harrison says he’s given no thought to sitting out, however, describing his health as “good enough to play.” And all indications this week have been that Ohio State plans to utilize Harrison as it normally would. Day said Thursday that Harrison “had a really good week of practice and looks ready to roll.”
Should Ohio State build a comfortable lead in Saturday’s game, it stands to reason that the Buckeyes would look to get Harrison out of the game early and give more reps to Carnell Tate and some of their other backup receivers. But their chances of putting a big number on the scoreboard against Maryland are certainly bolstered by having their star receiver available.
Keep An Eye on These Guys
QB Taulia Tagovailoa
Any conversation about Maryland football usually centers around Tagovailoa, and with good reason. The fifth-year senior, who is now in his fourth year as the Terrapins’ starting quarterback, currently leads the Big Ten with 1,464 passing yards and 13 touchdown passes this season.
Tagovailoa has performed well against Ohio State over the past two seasons, completing 72 percent of his passes (54 of 75) for 572 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions. So the Buckeyes are well aware of the challenges he’ll present to their defense.
“He can extend plays. He throws the ball on a rope. He's a great player,” Ohio State cornerback Denzel Burke said.
Out of any quarterback Ohio State has faced so far this season, Tagovailoa has the most ability to make plays as a passer outside of the pocket, which could make Maryland the toughest test of the season to date for Ohio State’s secondary as they will need to be able to maintain tight coverage on Maryland’s receivers when Tagovailoa extends plays. Of course, it would help their cause if Ohio State can get more out of its pass rush and force Tagovailoa to get the ball out of his hand quickly.
“This is a really good group that we're gonna have to execute at a high level, we gotta play really well, get our hands on balls,” Day said when asked about Ohio State’s secondary. “But it also goes up front. We gotta get a rush. How do you disrupt a passing game? You get a rush or you cover a little bit longer. And that’s something we’re gonna have to do this week.”
WRs Jeshaun Jones, Tai Felton and Kaden Prather
While we could often single out individual players in this section, what makes Maryland’s passing attack dangerous isn’t that it has one superstar receiver but that it has a variety of weapons who are capable of having a big game against any opponent.
| Ohio State | Pos | Maryland |
|---|---|---|
| OFFENSE | ||
| KYLE MCCORD | QB | TAULIA TAGOVAILOA |
| TREVEYON HENDERSON | RB | ROMAN HEMBY |
| MARVIN HARRISON JR. | WR | KADEN PRATHER |
| JULIAN FLEMING | WR | TAI FELTON |
| EMEKA EGBUKA | WR | JESHAUN JONES |
| CADE STOVER | TE | COREY DYCHES |
| JOSH SIMMONS | LT | DELMAR GLAZE |
| DONOVAN JACKSON | LG | COREY BULLOCK |
| CARSON HINZMAN | C | MIKE PURCELL |
| MATT JONES | RG | KYLE LONG |
| JOSH FRYAR | RT | GOTTLIEB AYEDZE |
| DEFENSE | ||
| JT TUIMOLOAU | DE | QUASHON FULLER |
| TYLEIK WILLIAMS | DT | TOMMY AKINGBESOTE |
| MIKE HALL | DT | JORDAN PHILLIPS |
| JACK SAWYER | DE/JACK | KELLAN WYATT |
| STEELE CHAMBERS | WLB | JAISHAWN BARHAM |
| TOMMY EICHENBERG | MLB | RUBEN HYPPOLITE II |
| SONNY STYLES | NB | GLENDON MILLER |
| DENZEL BURKE | CB | JA’QUAN SHEPPARD |
| DAVISON IGBINOSUN | CB | TARHEEB STILL |
| JOSH PROCTOR | FS | DANTE TRADER JR. |
| LATHAN RANSOM | SS | BEAU BRADE |
Jones might be the most memorable name on Maryland’s roster outside of Tagovailoa, given that he’s already played against Ohio State three times dating back to 2018. He scored touchdowns against the Buckeyes in both 2018 and 2022 and leads the Terps this season with 19 receptions for 319 yards and two touchdowns.
Just behind Jones in terms of season production is Felton, who has 18 catches for 299 yards and three touchdowns through five games. Those three touchdowns all came last week against Indiana when Felton caught seven passes for 134 yards in a breakout performance.
Prather, who gives Tagovailoa a big outside target at 6-foot-4 and 212 pounds, has also been a consistent weapon for the Terrapins in his first season since transferring from West Virginia, catching 18 passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns.
The three starting receivers aren’t the only weapons in the passing game that Ohio State needs to be aware of, as Maryland already has six players with at least 11 receptions this season. Corey Dyches currently ranks second in receiving yards among Big Ten tight ends, behind only OSU’s Cade Stover, with 18 catches for 214 yards and one score.
DE Donnell Brown
Pro Football Focus has graded Brown as the second-best edge defender in the FBS so far this season, with an overall grade of 91.5. A transfer from St. Francis University, Brown has made an immediate impact in his transition from the FCS level to the Big Ten, currently ranking as one of PFF’s five highest-graded edge defenders in both pass coverage and run defense.
The 6-foot-3, 254-pound defensive end isn’t yet a full-time starter for the Terrapins, but he’s a player Ohio State and its still-developing offensive line will need to be aware of every time he’s on the field. The only defensive lineman in the country with two interceptions already this season, Brown excels at dropping back into coverage while he also has 1.5 tackles for loss and eight quarterback pressures in just 140 total snaps this season.
Game Week Talk
“While we have a lot of respect for Ohio State, we also know that it's game six on our schedule – it's not the Super Bowl.”– Maryland coach Mike Locksley
Although a win over Ohio State would be an immense feat for Maryland that would immediately thrust the Terrapins into Big Ten contender status with a 6-0 record, Locksley doesn’t want his team to approach the game any differently than it has its first five games. “As we prepare each week, it's Terps vs. Terps … ultimately, it will come down to players making plays,” Locksley added.
“They're good … last year, they probably had the best secondary we faced all year last year. So they're well-coached obviously over there, a lot of talent, a lot of depth. That's gonna be a challenge for us.”– Marvin Harrison Jr. on Maryland’s secondary
Maryland’s secondary no longer features Deonte Banks, who went on to be a first-round NFL draft pick and who Harrison specifically felt was the best cornerback he faced last season. It does still feature its starting safeties from last year, Beau Brade and Dante Trader Jr., while cornerback Tarheeb Still is currently tied for the Big Ten lead with three interceptions.
“I’m really expecting some play (opportunities) this weekend. Hopefully they throw my way.”– Denzel Burke
Burke was targeted just once in Ohio State’s most recent game against Notre Dame, but he hopes Tagovailoa throws his way more so he gets the chance to make plays on the ball. He believes Maryland is better than any passing offense Ohio State has faced so far this season except Western Kentucky, but he’s looking forward to the challenge.
Get Smart
- Ohio State has won all eight games it’s played against Maryland since the Terrapins joined the Big Ten in 2014. Ohio State and Maryland never played each other before 2014.
- The Buckeyes have won their four previous games against Maryland at Ohio Stadium by an average of 44.25 points. Ohio State has each won of its last three games against the Terrapins at the Shoe by at least 48 points.
- Ohio State’s 2023 roster includes two players from Maryland: Defensive linemen Mitchell Melton and Jason Moore.
- Mike Purcell, a Dayton native who has started two games at center for Maryland this season, is the Terrapins’ only player from Ohio.
- Former Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis is now the offensive coordinator at Maryland. That could give the Buckeyes bulletin board material, as Gattis said Ohio State was “not a tough team” after the Wolverines’ win over Ohio State in 2021, the last time he coached against the Buckeyes.
- FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff will broadcast live from Ohio State’s campus from 10 a.m. to noon leading up to Saturday’s game.
How It Plays Out
Line: Ohio State -19.5, O/U 57
Sportsbooks are showing respect to Maryland and its 5-0 start to the season by favoring Ohio State to win by fewer than 21 points even though the Terrapins have never come within 21 points of beating the Buckeyes in Ohio Stadium.
More Ohio State vs. Maryland Coverage
Whether this game will be a competitive battle or a Buckeye blowout could be a matter of whether Maryland is as good as its results and statistics indicate. The Terrapins have performed consistently well on both sides of the ball so far this year, but Ohio State’s offense and defense are both significantly better than any Maryland faced in its first five games.
Given that uncertainty, there was no clear consensus from the Eleven Warriors staff this week on how Saturday’s game will play out. While every member of our staff expects Ohio State to win, the projected margin of victory among our staffers this week ranges from only 14 points to as many as 42 points.
This is a week where Ohio State needs to focus on just winning more than passing the eye test, considering last year’s game against Maryland was a one-score game in the final minute before the Buckeyes won 43-30. All of that said, this week presents a good opportunity for the Buckeyes to cover the spread for just the second time this season if they come out firing on all cylinders as they typically have with an extra week of preparation.
Maryland won’t make it easy for Ohio State to continue its streak of holding opponents to 14 points or fewer so far this season, but a likely pass-heavy game plan from the Terrapins should lead to more possessions for the Buckeyes and give them a better chance to score more than 35 points for just the second time this year. Harrison’s injury leaves some uncertainty about whether Ohio State’s offense will be operating at full capacity this week, but the Buckeyes have enough weapons to put up big numbers even if Harrison is less than 100%, though they’ll need to execute better than they have in short-yardage situations.
| Eleven Warriors Staff Prediction | ||||
 |
41 | 17 |
 |
|
Discover the best in exterior renovation when you schedule your roof replacement with Able Roof. With over 300,000 satisfied customers, you can be confident that your roof will last for years to come. Book your roof replacement now and save up to $1000 off your roof. Contact us today.
