Ohio State’s 45-16 win over Maryland came with the kind of warning signs that can get buried in a comfortable final score. The Buckeyes moved the ball, hit enough explosive plays, and walked out with another step forward as a team still trying to get fully in sync. But the sloppy stuff was there too, and it showed up in the same places that tend to matter most when the competition gets sharper.
The biggest headache was ball security. Ohio State gave the ball away twice and also put it on the turf once more, though the Buckeyes were able to recover that one themselves.
That sort of thing can be absorbed against Maryland in Columbus. It gets a lot harder to survive at Indiana next week.
The first turnover came on Ohio State’s third offensive series. Julian Sayin tried to escape pressure without protecting the ball with both hands, and Maryland stripped it.
Ian Moore was beaten badly, the ball came loose, and the Terrapins recovered. Maryland turned that into its first points of the day with a field goal, trimming the Buckeyes’ lead to 7-3.
Sayin heard it from Ryan Day on the sideline afterward, and rightly so.
The second giveaway was even more damaging in one sense because it was returned for points. In the third quarter, with Ohio State ahead 31-10, Maryland brought pressure on a twist from the defensive left side and hit Sayin as he tried to throw a screen to Isaiah West.
The contact changed the throw, and the pass wound up in the hands of Daniel Wingate, who took it 52 yards for a touchdown. That was Maryland’s first score of the second half and pulled the margin to 31-16.
Both turnovers came with pressure in Sayin’s face, and that’s the point that should stick. Maryland’s line was disruptive enough, but tougher fronts are still coming, and if the protection doesn’t clean itself up, the giveaways could keep piling up. Matt Patricia’s defense didn’t force a takeaway of its own, leaving Ohio State at minus-2 in turnover margin on the day.
The penalties were just as frustrating. Ohio State drew eight flags for 65 yards, and some of them came at the worst possible moments. There was a second offside on a kickoff in two weeks, and Carter Lowe false-started on an extra point try after Jeremiah Smith’s opening touchdown.
One of the most damaging errors came when Beau Atkinson took a full step and hit Malik Washington after the Maryland quarterback had already released the ball on third down. The pass fell incomplete, and the play should have forced a punt.
Instead, Maryland got a fresh set of downs. Not long after that, James Smith was offside, turning second-and-8 into second-and-3.
Qua Russaw then got hit with delay of game after Eddrick Houston had made a 6-yard tackle for loss, and Jaylen McClain followed with an offside that kept the Terps moving.
Washington finished that march himself with a touchdown run, cutting Ohio State’s lead to 14-10. It was the kind of drive the Buckeyes had multiple chances to end, and kept extending with help from the other side.
The flag count also included a running-into-the-kicker call on Jordan Thomas on a punt that looked like it could have been blocked. And Carson Hinzmann’s unnecessary hold wiped out a Bo Jackson receiving touchdown, costing Ohio State four points when the next play produced a missed screen to Legend Bey and a 40-yard field goal instead.
Even with the messiness, there was plenty for Ohio State to like. The run defense was much better again, holding Maryland to 82 rushing yards and 2.9 yards per carry.
Sayin kept answering despite the pressure and finished with 242 passing yards and four touchdowns, even though he was only 13-of-21. The Jacksons combined for 103 rushing yards, with Bo Jackson accounting for 107 and two scores.
Jeremiah Smith kept doing Jeremiah Smith things, adding 93 receiving yards and two more touchdowns.
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 🡒]