Ohio State’s trip to Maryland comes with the usual lopsided spread, but the Terrapins still bring enough pieces to make this one worth watching. Chris Durr Jr. has been the breakout name on Maryland’s side, Malik Washington keeps piling up passing volume, and the Buckeyes can’t afford to treat this like anything less than a full-speed tune-up before Indiana arrives next week.
Durr has been Maryland’s most dangerous weapon all season. The Wyoming wide receiver has 42 catches for 461 yards and four touchdowns entering the game, and he’s already been the first Big Ten receiver to post multiple games with at least 10 receptions.
His 8.4 catches per game rank second in the FBS, and he’s caught at least six passes in every Maryland game this season. That run is the longest by a Terrapin since Tai Felton had six straight games with at least six catches in 2024.
Last week against Nebraska, Durr put up a career-high 149 yards, with 135 of them coming in the first quarter, and he’s now just nine yards shy of setting a new career high for receiving yards in a season.
Washington has been just as central to everything Maryland does. Now in his second year as the starter, the quarterback threw for just under 3,000 yards with 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions as a freshman.
He finished that first college season with 459 passing yards in a loss to Michigan State, and Maryland has leaned heavily on his arm ever since. Entering this week, Washington has attempted at least 30 passes in eight straight games, the longest active streak in the FBS.
Through five games this season, he has 1,288 passing yards, seven touchdowns and six interceptions.
Maryland also has one clear edge that could matter if this game tightens up: the kicking game. Sean O’Haire has been close to automatic for the Terrapins, making 40 of 44 field goal attempts in his career.
This season, the Ireland native is 7-for-8, with his lone miss coming against UConn. He’s also one of two active kickers in the country who has never missed an extra point.
Last year he finished with 92 points, and against Nebraska last week he made all three of his field goal tries.
For Ohio State, the biggest challenge is mental as much as tactical. This is the kind of game where a heavily favored team can drift toward next week, especially with Indiana waiting.
But Maryland has enough players who can create problems, and with the Terrapins likely treating this like their biggest stage of the year, the Buckeyes need to stay locked in from the start. There’s also the possibility Maryland comes in playing for a head coach who is likely to be fired either during or after the season, which only adds to the “nothing to lose” feel.
That makes the opening quarter especially important. Maryland has been able to keep fighting late even while taking losses, and the Terrapins have held opponents to seven points or fewer in 21 straight games, the sixth-longest active streak in the FBS.
Ohio State set the tone early last week against Iowa, scoring less than two minutes into the game and adding a field goal later in the first quarter. If the Buckeyes can do that again, they can make this one look the way the spread suggests it should and potentially save some wear on their starters for Bloomington.
The defense has a chance to build on a cleaner outing too. After allowing 19 points and more than 450 yards in a win over Illinois, Ohio State tightened things up against Iowa, giving up just 238 yards and 14 points while forcing two turnovers.
That helped the offense control the game by keeping the ball and the defense rested. The same formula would serve the Buckeyes well here, especially with a much tougher test coming next week.
There are also a few familiar faces in the mix. Matt Barnes returns to Columbus as Maryland’s special teams coordinator after previous stints with Ohio State.
He worked for the Buckeyes from 2019 through 2021, moving from special teams coordinator and assistant secondary coach to safeties coach and eventually handling defensive play calling in 2021 before leaving for Memphis and later Mississippi State. Gary Williams, the Maryland graduate who coached Ohio State men’s basketball from 1986 to 1989, is another link between the programs.
Williams went 59-41 with the Buckeyes before later building Maryland into a national power, capped by the 2002 national title and 461 wins there. Dwayne Haskins is the other notable connection, having originally committed to Maryland before eventually landing at Ohio State, where his 2018 season became the most prolific passing year in school history with more than 4,800 yards and 50 touchdowns.
He was drafted 15th overall by the Washington Commanders in 2019 and died in April 2022 after being struck by a vehicle.
In Other News...
Ohio State Fans Have A Cheaper Way To Watch Todays Game
For Ohio State fans trying to follow todays game without leaning on cable, the options are more crowded than ever, but also a little more manageable if price is the main concern. The latest rundown of college football streaming services points viewers toward a handful of familiar platforms, including DIRECTV MySports, YouTube TV, Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo and Fox One, each offering a different mix of live channels, trial periods and monthly costs.
What makes this weeks viewing puzzle interesting is that the cheapest route is not always the most obvious one, especially when channel access can vary by service. For Buckeyes fans, the real challenge is matching the broadcast with a package that actually carries it, which is why the best value option may depend less on name recognition and more on which platform gives the easiest path to the game without forcing viewers into a pricier bundle. [Read more 🡒]
Former Michigan Star Just Reignited The Debate Ohio State Fans Love
Jake Butt briefly reopened one of the most familiar arguments in college football when he suggested in an interview that Michigans 2023 national championship carries an asterisk because of how the sign-stealing scandal has colored public perception. The former Wolverines tight end later took to social media to clarify that he believes those championships were real and earned, but the initial remark was enough to stir up a debate Ohio State fans never seem to tire of revisiting.
For Buckeyes followers, the timing only adds another layer to a rivalry that already lives on edge, especially with Michigan now trying to steady itself through coaching changes and uneven play since Jim Harbaughs departure. Even as Butt walked back the sharper edge of his comment, the larger issue remains unresolved: how much the scandal has damaged the way outsiders view a title that the program still claims as legitimate. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Freshman RBs Shrinking Role Now Carries A Bigger Concern
Legend Beys role in Ohio States backfield has already been sliding, and the freshman running back has not appeared in the last two games after seeing only limited action earlier in the season. For a program that keeps a close eye on the development and availability of every scholarship player, a young runner disappearing from the rotation is notable on its own, especially when the Buckeyes are trying to sort out depth behind the established options.
The bigger concern is what has been happening away from the field. Bey was reportedly cited for speeding and allegedly evicted from his apartment for nonpayment of rent, adding another layer of uncertainty around a player whose playing time has already been shrinking. It is still unclear whether those off-field matters are tied to his reduced role, and the coaching staff has not confirmed any connection, leaving the situation open as one more item to monitor around the Buckeyes. [Read more 🡒]