Ohio State did what it was supposed to do on Saturday, rolling past Maryland 45-16 and keeping its Big Ten start clean at 3-0. The win moved the now-No.
4 Buckeyes to 5-1 overall and set up a massive road test next week at No. 5 Indiana, which is 6-0 and also unbeaten in conference play.
The biggest story from the matchup was how completely Ohio State took Maryland’s main weapons out of the game. Malik Washington came in with the kind of skill set that can make life interesting for a defense, and Chris Durr Jr. has the kind of reputation that demands attention.
Neither got much going. Washington finished 12-for-25 for 64 yards through the air and added just 19 rushing yards, while Durr was held to four catches for 15 yards, with only one of those receptions going for 12.
On the other side, Bo Jackson turned in another steady day and continued to answer some of the noise around him. He carried the ball 23 times for 107 yards and scored twice, giving Ohio State a reliable punch on the ground.
Jackson now has 89 carries for 460 yards and four touchdowns this season, good for 5.2 yards per carry. As a true freshman last year, he topped 1,000 rushing yards while averaging 6.1 yards per attempt.
Chris Henry Jr. also kept doing the strange-but-effective thing he’s been doing all season: barely touching the ball, then making it count when he does. He caught just one pass against Maryland, but it went for 46 yards. For the season, he’s now sitting on four receptions for 151 yards and two touchdowns, which works out to 37.8 yards per catch.
Julian Sayin posted another strong line, finishing with 250 passing yards and four touchdowns, but even that production came with a qualifier. For Ohio State, it qualified as his worst outing of the year, outside of a rough second half against Texas. That says more about the standard he’s set than any real concern about Saturday’s performance.
The area that will likely draw the most frustration from the coaching staff is penalties. Ohio State has generally been pretty clean in that department this season, but against Maryland it hurt itself too often. On the Terrapins’ only touchdown drive, the Buckeyes were flagged four times on defense, including a roughing the passer call on Beau Atkinson.
The injury situation, at least based on this game, does not appear to be a major concern. The Buckeyes were missing some key players, but most of them should be back.
And as always, when starters are out, the game loses a little something. Football is simply better when everyone’s healthy.
In Other News...
Ohio State Enters Brutal Stretch With One Worry Fans Cant Ignore
Rainy conditions and a depleted lineup did little to slow Ohio State in its 45-16 win over Maryland, a result that kept the Buckeyes moving forward even as the injury and illness list trimmed key pieces from the rotation. Several starters were out, including multiple offensive linemen and wide receivers, but the group that did suit up handled the circumstances well enough to leave Saturday with a comfortable conference win.
Indiana now looms as the next test, and the Buckeyes are still projecting confidence heading into that matchup. The concern for fans is hard to miss, though: Ohio State is entering a demanding stretch while still waiting to get healthier up front and back on the perimeter, and that makes the coming days worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Just Got A New Ranking Test Before Indiana
Georgias win over Alabama shook up the top of both major college football polls, and Ohio State came out of the weekend a little higher in the conversation as a result. The Buckeyes climbed to No. 4 in the AP Poll and No. 5 in the Coaches Poll, keeping them firmly in the national title mix while the rest of the Top 5 continued to shuffle around them.
The new placement only adds more weight to what is coming next, because Ohio State is headed toward a Top-5 matchup with Indiana. With the rankings tightening and the stakes rising, the Buckeyes now have an even clearer read on where they stand, and a bigger test waiting to show whether this bump in the polls matches the on-field reality. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Just Turned Up The Heat On Two Committed 2027 Targets
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Conrad, who had been pledged to Buffalo, landed his first Power 4 offer from Ohio State, while Allen arrived in Columbus as a Wisconsin commit and left with an offer of his own. Both are regarded as highly ranked prospects with strong high school rsums, and the Buckeyes have clearly decided theyre worth pushing on early even with their current commitments elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]