Ohio State heads into Week 6 with a 4-1 record and a No. 5 national ranking, but the Buckeyes may have to navigate Maryland with a few key pieces in question.
Wide receivers Devin McCuin and Brandon Iniss are both listed as questionable for the matchup. McCuin has 17 catches for 245 yards and two touchdowns this season, while Iniss has 10 receptions for 147 yards and one score. With Jeremiah Smith already drawing plenty of attention, any absence there would give Maryland a clearer path to crowd him and make Julian Sayin work through other options.
The concerns don’t stop at receiver. Christian Alliegro, the starting linebacker and third on the team with 20 tackles, is another player Ohio State could be without. On the offensive line, right tackle Dillion Phillips is also potentially out, which would create another issue for a unit that has already dealt with pressure.
Sayin was sacked four times against Iowa after Ohio State emphasized getting him to use his legs more, and Maryland brings a pass rush that could make life difficult again. The Terrapins are third in the Big Ten with 14 sacks, so the Buckeyes could be forced out of their comfort zone if the protection breaks down.
Ohio State is expected to win this game, but the bigger concern is avoiding a stumble in a matchup that has trap-game written all over it. With a tougher stretch ahead, the Buckeyes need to handle business and, just as importantly, come out healthy.
In Other News...
Former Ohio State Coach Brian Hartline Just Took A Brutal First Step Back
Brian Hartlines first months at South Florida had gone smoothly enough, with the former Ohio State offensive coordinator off to a 4-1 start before a stumble at UTSA snapped the momentum. The trip also came with a side note that got plenty of attention, after Hartline made comments about the noise inside the opponents stadium and then had those remarks revisited in a very public way once the game was over.
From Ohio States perspective, Hartlines next chapter is still part of the larger coaching tree story, but the Buckeyes have their own issues to sort out as the schedule rolls on. The offense has had trouble getting the rushing game where it needs to be, and while Hartline is now trying to settle in as a head coach, his rough first step back served as another reminder that the margins get small fast once conference and nonconference tests start to pile up. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States Elite Passing Game Is Hiding A Bigger Running Back Issue
Ohio States passing game has been humming along at a level few teams in the country can match, but the ground game is carrying a very different kind of conversation. The Buckeyes sit 81st in rushing yards per attempt, a ranking that stands out for a team with this much offensive firepower and one that has had to lean on a rotating backfield rather than finding a clear weekly answer.
The workload has bounced among Ja'Kobi Jackson, Bo Jackson and Isaiah West, with true freshman Legend Bey also part of the early mix. Beys limited role has drawn attention because of questions around why his touches have thinned out, and while there has been speculation about professionalism concerns, nothing has been officially confirmed. For a team built to pressure defenses in every way, the bigger issue may be less about who is getting the carries and more about whether Ohio State has settled on the right one. [Read more 🡒]
Maryland Brings Coaching Drama And A Defense Ohio State Can Exploit
Maryland arrives with plenty of noise around the program, and not much of it has anything to do with what happens between the lines. The uncertainty around Mike Locksleys future has hung over the Terps for a while now, with the athletic director potentially waiting until after the bye week to make a call, and that backdrop only adds to the sense that Ohio State is catching Maryland at a tense moment. At the same time, the offensive side has slipped, with Malik Washingtons play trending down and the Terps searching for steadier footing.
There is still enough on the defensive front to make Maryland worth studying, especially along the line, where a few key pieces can flash and disrupt a game if the rest of the unit holds together. The problem, as Michael Howes pointed out, is that the tackling has not been dependable enough, and those misses have repeatedly undercut the defense. For Ohio State, that creates a familiar sort of opportunity, one that starts with pressure up front and can quickly turn into a longer afternoon for a defense already carrying too much uncertainty. [Read more 🡒]