No. 5 Ohio State looked every bit like a team in control on a brisk afternoon at Ohio Stadium, rolling past Maryland 45-16 and keeping its Big Ten record spotless at 3-0. The Buckeyes moved to 5-1 overall, while the Terrapins fell to 2-4 and stayed winless in conference play at 0-3.
The game never tilted back toward Maryland for long. Ohio State kept landing punches through the air and on the ground, with Julian Sayin throwing four touchdown passes and Bo Jackson powering the run game. Maryland had a few sharp moments - a second-quarter touchdown march and a third-quarter pick-six by Daniel Wingate - but the Terps couldn’t keep pace with the Buckeyes’ tempo or firepower.
Ohio State’s numbers told the story as plainly as the scoreboard. The Buckeyes piled up a 449-146 edge in total yards, finished with 24 first downs to Maryland’s 10, held the ball for 34:39, and went a perfect 3-for-3 on fourth down. That kind of efficiency made the afternoon feel one-sided early and even more lopsided as it went on.
Sayin and Jeremiah Smith set the tone right away. At the 9:47 mark of the first quarter, Sayin finished a two-play, 28-yard drive with a 33-yard touchdown to Smith. Maryland answered with a 39-yard Sean O'Haire field goal at 3:55 after a 7-play drive, cutting the lead to 7-3.
Ohio State responded almost instantly. Six seconds later, Sayin hit Nate Roberts on a 68-yard touchdown bomb to cap a 2-play, 71-yard drive in 46 seconds and stretch the lead to 14-3.
Maryland’s best offensive sequence came early in the second quarter. Malik Washington led an 11-play, 75-yard drive that took 6:40, and he finished it himself with a 5-yard touchdown run at the 11:23 mark to pull the Terrapins within 14-10.
That was as close as Maryland would get. Ohio State closed the half with a 17-point burst that broke the game open. Sayin found Smith again on a 40-yard touchdown at the 8:32 mark, Connor Hawkins added a 40-yard field goal with 5:55 left, and Sayin capped the half with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Mason Williams with 0:24 remaining to make it 31-10 at the break.
Maryland did briefly create a spark in the third quarter. At 5:12, Wingate jumped an intermediate throw from Sayin and returned the interception 52 yards for a touchdown, trimming the margin to 31-16.
Ohio State answered the way top teams do. Jackson broke free for a 25-yard touchdown run at the 2:38 mark to push the lead back to 38-16, then sealed things in the fourth quarter with a long, grinding possession. The Buckeyes strung together a 16-play, 72-yard drive that burned 9:59 off the clock, and Jackson finished it with a 2-yard touchdown run at 4:52 for the final score.
Sayin finished 13-for-21 for 242 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. Jackson ran for 107 yards and two scores on 23 carries. Smith caught four passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns, with scoring grabs of 33 and 40 yards.
For Maryland, Wingate led the defensive effort with 10 tackles and the pick-six. Washington went 12-for-25 for 64 yards, added the 5-yard rushing touchdown, and DeJuan Williams ran for 48 yards on 16 carries. Zion Elee also had a sack and forced a fumble.
In Other News...
Ohio State Just Turned Up The Heat On Two Committed 2027 Targets
A Maryland weekend at Ohio State turned into more than just another recruiting stop, as the Buckeyes used the visit to push harder with a pair of committed 2027 prospects. Linebacker James Conrad and running back Kingston Allen both left Columbus with scholarship offers from Ohio State, adding two more names to a class that has already started to draw national attention well before the cycle gets serious.
Conrad, who is committed to Buffalo, picked up his first Power 4 offer from the Buckeyes, while Allen, a Wisconsin pledge, added Ohio State to a growing list of programs chasing him. Both are highly regarded players with strong high school rsums, and the Buckeyes are now firmly in the mix even before either one has reached the point where most recruiting battles really take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Suddenly Faces A Tougher Indiana Test Than Expected
Indiana has quietly put itself in a better position than many expected heading into its Big Ten meeting with Ohio State. The Hoosiers are mostly healthy, with tight end Andrew Barker the only long-term injured starter, and theyve also gotten a lift from the returns of defensive end Daniel Ndukwe and A.J. Harris. Those reinforcements have helped stabilize a defense that looks a lot sturdier than it did earlier in the season.
Ohio State, meanwhile, is carrying a longer injury list into the matchup, with issues along the offensive line and among several receivers and defenders. For a Buckeyes team that usually expects to dictate terms, that matters because it can complicate both protection and depth in a game where every healthy body counts. Indiana may still be the underdog, but it suddenly has the kind of availability edge that can make a November road test far less comfortable than projected. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Faces A Bigger Test Than Fans Might Think
Indiana coach Curt Cignetti knows exactly what is waiting for his team when it lines up against No. 4 Ohio State, and he spent part of the buildup acknowledging just how difficult the assignment is. With Ryan Day on the sideline and Jeremiah Smith driving the offense, the Buckeyes bring the kind of firepower and consistency that has made them one of the most reliable powers in the College Football Playoff era, and Indiana is treating the matchup like the kind of test that can expose almost any weakness.
Ohio State also appears to be getting healthier at the right time, with several starters expected back after sitting out the previous game, while Indiana recently regained defensive back A.J. Harris. That sets up a game with more than enough talent on both sides to make things interesting, but the larger question is whether Indiana can withstand the Buckeyes long enough to turn it into the kind of contest Cignetti believes it needs to be. [Read more 🡒]