No. 5 Ohio State heads into Saturday afternoon’s meeting with Maryland carrying a massive edge on the scoreboard and a spotlight that keeps landing on Jeremiah Smith.
The Buckeyes are a five-touchdown favorite in Columbus, but the real attraction is whether Smith can keep doing the kind of damage that has turned him into the center of Ohio State’s passing attack. The junior wide receiver is chasing a third straight game with more than 200 receiving yards after going off for 11 catches, 206 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s 31-14 win at then-No.
14 Iowa. Over his last two games, Smith has piled up 23 receptions for 423 yards and six scores.
For Maryland coach Michael Locksley, the assignment is obvious, even if the solution is not.
"When I think of playing teams that have explosive playmakers like that, I think the thing that comes to mind for defending them is, how do you cup it?," Maryland coach Michael Locksley said. "How do you keep it in front of you and do a really good job of cupping the skilled players that they have, and that means playing with depth, good eyes and vision, and then doing a really good job of a bunch of guys running to the football?"
Ohio State’s passing game has been ruthless all season, ranking second nationally at 357 yards per game. That puts a lot on Maryland’s defense, which has held opponents under 250 passing yards in eight straight road games, the fourth-longest active streak in the FBS. Even so, the Terrapins are giving up 198.4 passing yards per game this season, which ranks 57th nationally.
Locksley knows exactly what kind of game he’s trying to drag this into.
"The attention is mostly focused on what do we have to do to prepare ourselves?" Locksley said. "Against a team like Ohio State, the goal for us is: how do we get a game like that into the fourth quarter to give us any chance?"
Maryland does have a receiver of its own who has been producing all season. Junior Chris Durr Jr. ranks second nationally with 8.4 receptions per game, just behind Smith’s 8.8. Durr has had at least six catches in every game this year.
That means Ohio State’s sophomore cornerback Devin Sanchez could be tested again in his first season as a starter. He has been called for pass interference twice in each of the last two games, and Ryan Day said this week that the Buckeyes want to see him take a step forward.
"I think his approach has been good, but I think he would tell you that he wants to play better, too," Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. "So, this is a big week for him to step up against some really talented receivers from Maryland to take the next step in his progression because he's played for us, but we need him to be that lockdown corner that we all know he can be."
Maryland arrives in Columbus after three straight losses, including a 48-23 defeat at Nebraska last week. Locksley made it clear the Terrapins understand where they are and what still needs fixing.
"I'll start by acknowledging that obviously the last three weeks isn't good enough, isn't the standard that we need to have for our program," Locksley said. "Our players know it.
We, as coaches, know it. Obviously, I know it.
But nobody's hanging their heads. We've got a lot of work to do, and we're going to keep working through it."
The history between these teams tilts heavily toward Ohio State, which leads the series 9-0 and has topped 60 points four times.
In Other News...
Malik Washington Has Become Marylands Biggest Early-Season Debate
Malik Washington entered his sophomore season at Maryland with real momentum after a record-breaking freshman year, but the early weeks have already turned him into the teams biggest talking point. Through roughly a quarter of the schedule, he has piled up 1,288 passing yards while completing 63% of his throws, and he has added a modest 37 rushing yards, but the numbers have come with seven touchdowns and six interceptions, enough to keep the conversation centered less on his production than on how cleanly he is playing.
The concern has been less about arm talent than the details that tend to decide Big Ten games. Washington has had stretches where accuracy, decision-making and turnover avoidance have been issues, especially in recent games against conference opponents, and Maryland is now weighing the difference between a talented young quarterback learning on the fly and a position that cannot afford repeated mistakes for long. For a player who arrived with so much promise, the next stretch figures to say a lot about whether the early-season debate fades or grows louder. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Locksley Pressure Is Rising As Maryland Faces Another Brutal Test
Marylands rough stretch has pushed the Terps into an uncomfortable spot as they head toward another steep Big Ten challenge. The losing streak has left them still searching for a conference breakthrough this season, and the gap between where they are and where they want to be is hard to ignore with Ohio State next on the schedule.
Jeremiah Smith has been one of the Buckeyes most notable bright spots, adding another layer of difficulty to an already demanding matchup. Mike Locksley and his players have acknowledged the frustration of the recent slide, but the message inside the program remains the same: absorb the losses, keep the focus and try to turn the lessons into something more useful when the next chance arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Maryland Just Turned Its New Schedule Into A Throwback Fans Will Love
Marylands 2026-27 mens basketball season is already taking shape in a way that should resonate with longtime fans, thanks to the Big Tens release of television assignments and tip times. Along with the usual schedule details, the program is planning a 25th Anniversary Celebration of its 2002 NCAA national championship, a reminder of one of the defining moments in Terrapins basketball history.
The centerpiece comes on February 13, when Indiana visits for a home game built around the anniversary tribute, complete with commemorative giveaways and fan events. The celebration will stretch beyond that night, too, with themed games, additional giveaways and a new endowment fund forming part of a season-long nod to the title team and the standard it set. [Read more 🡒]