Ohio State gets Maryland at a time when the Terrapins are sliding, and the numbers tell a pretty clear story. The Buckeyes are 4-1 overall and 2-0 in Big Ten play, while Maryland comes in at 2-3, 0-2 and riding a three-game losing streak.
One of the biggest names on Maryland’s roster is quarterback Malik Washington, a player tied to the same recruiting conversation as Ohio State and Michigan. Washington was the No. 5-ranked quarterback in the 2025 recruiting class, behind Bryce Underwood at No.
1, Keelon Russell at No. 2 and Tavien St. Clair at No.
- He flashed big-time production as a freshman last season, throwing for almost 3,000 yards and 17 touchdowns, but this year has been a tougher ride.
Over his last two games, he has thrown six interceptions, including four in Maryland’s 54-3 loss to UCLA. For the season, Washington has 1,288 passing yards, seven touchdowns and six interceptions.
Maryland’s offense also has a dangerous target in Chris Durr Jr., who arrived from Wyoming this past season and wasted no time becoming a factor. Durr is second in the conference with 42 catches and fifth with 461 receiving yards. He also has four touchdowns, making him the biggest threat Ohio State’s defense has to account for this week.
The problem for Maryland is that the defense has not held up its end. The Terrapins are allowing 30.2 points per game, which ranks third-worst in the Big Ten.
Only Purdue and Rutgers have been worse. And Maryland is also dealing with injury concerns in the secondary, with its top three defensive backs all on the early injury report.
There are other rough edges too, especially on offense. Maryland sits in the middle of the Big Ten in several categories, but third-down execution has been a real issue.
The Terrapins are 17th out of 18 in third-down conversions, going 25-for-71 for 35.2%. Only Washington is worse in that category, while Ohio State ranks sixth in the conference.
All of that lands on a program already under pressure. Head coach Mike Locksley entered the season on the hot seat, and the first five games have only turned up the heat.
Maryland’s home loss to UCLA two weeks ago looked like a low point, and last week’s 48-23 defeat to Nebraska only made things uglier after the Cornhuskers scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns. At this point, it doesn’t look like Locksley has much time left in College Park.
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 🡒]