Ohio State gets Maryland on Saturday in Columbus, and while it’s the Buckeyes’ only home game in October, the bigger picture is what comes next. Ryan Day’s team is expected to handle the Terrapins comfortably, but this is also the final chance to tidy things up before a difficult run that includes trips to Indiana and USC, then a Nov. 7 home date with Oregon.
That looming stretch is why the questions around Ohio State feel more urgent now, especially with the halfway point of the regular season approaching. Buckeye Talk Subtext subscribers asked about the biggest issues facing the team, and Ohio State beat writer Stefan Krajisnik weighed in on a few of them.
One reader wanted to know which College Football Playoff team looks like the Buckeyes’ toughest possible threat. Krajisnik went with Georgia, though he noted the Bulldogs’ schedule has been soft so far. Tennessee State and Western Kentucky were described as weak nonconference opponents, and Arkansas, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt were labeled as possibly the SEC’s three worst teams.
Even with that caveat, he still likes what Georgia has on the roster. Kirby Smart’s defense has been among the nation’s best, giving up fewer than 14 points and 250 yards per game. On offense, the Bulldogs also have the kind of quarterback that matters in the 12-team CFP: a veteran in Gunner Stockton.
Stockton’s numbers won’t jump off the page - he has 1,049 passing yards - but he’s produced 13 touchdowns against only one interception. Krajisnik pointed to last season, Stockton’s first as a full-time starter, when he helped Georgia win a conference title and reach the CFP quarterfinals. He said that experience should matter even more now that the postseason is back in the picture.
Krajisnik also addressed the conversation around Ohio State’s defense, which looked sharper against Iowa after some uneven moments earlier in the year. He said both things can be true: the Buckeyes made progress, but the earlier issues still matter.
Against Illinois, Ohio State gave up more than six yards per carry. Two weeks earlier, Texas had run for 103 yards in the second half of its comeback win. Holding Iowa to 39 rushing yards was a clear improvement, but the Hawkeyes only average 63.3 rushing yards per game against Power Four opponents.
Maryland’s ground game ranks in the bottom half of the Big Ten, so Ohio State should have a chance to keep building on that trend this week. Still, Krajisnik said it would be easier to fully move past the criticism if the Buckeyes show they can be stout and disciplined against Indiana, Oregon and Northwestern.
Another question brought Texas back into the conversation. If Ohio State and Texas played again this Saturday in Austin, with everything known now, what would happen? Krajisnik said he’d lean Texas, while acknowledging how dominant Ohio State was for three quarters in Austin.
He added that if this current Buckeyes team has truly learned from those mistakes, then there’s a real case for picking Ohio State in a rematch.
Krajisnik also noted that he expected Texas to take a big step after what looked like a breakthrough win for Steve Sarkisian and Arch Manning in Week 2. Instead, while still sitting atop the national rankings, the Longhorns are averaging 5.29 yards per play, which ranks No. 109 nationally.
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 🡒]