The Buckeye defense kept stacking proof on Saturday, and this time Maryland was the team left with almost nothing to show for it.
After last week’s statement win at Iowa, Ohio State came back and smothered the Terrapins in a 146-yard performance that looked ugly from start to finish for the visitors. Maryland’s only productive stretch came on its lone touchdown drive early, which accounted for about half of its total offense. After that, the Buckeyes simply took over.
Maryland had ten drives in all, and eight of them ended with either a punt or a turnover on downs. The ninth possession produced a field goal after a Julian Sayin fumble. That was the shape of the afternoon: Ohio State controlling the game, Maryland repeatedly running into a wall.
The opponent matters here, and the source material makes that clear. Maryland came into the Horseshoe looking like a bad team, one with a head coach who seems headed for the exit.
Still, the Buckeyes handled the assignment in front of them, and that counts. You can only pass the test on the schedule, and Ohio State passed this one cleanly.
There’s also a broader pattern worth noting. This was the fourth opponent in six games to be held under 250 total yards of offense against Ohio State. The defense may not be drawing headlines every week, but outside of the fourth quarter at Texas, it has been pretty good this season.
And that Iowa win keeps getting better in the rearview mirror. The Hawkeyes turned around on a short week and went to Washington, where they blew out the Huskies and scored 41 points on Friday night. If Iowa finishes 10-2 - or even 11-1, which is still on the table - and remains in the playoff conversation, that Ohio State victory is going to look awfully strong.
In Other News...
Ohio State Just Got Snubbed Before A Huge Top 10 Road Test
Ohio States trip to Indiana was shaping up as one of the weekends biggest showcases, but College GameDay is heading somewhere else. Instead of Bloomington, the pregame crew will set up for BYU and Notre Dame in Provo, a top-10 matchup that also carries plenty of national appeal and gives the show another marquee stage.
For the Buckeyes, the snub is notable because this was the kind of road test that usually brings extra attention, especially with a top-10 opponent waiting and a chance to make a statement away from home. Ohio State fans may not get another GameDay appearance this season, so this one feels like a missed opportunity even before the Buckeyes take the field. [Read more 🡒]
Marvin Harrison Jr. Just Landed In A Familiar NFL Situation
Marvin Harrison Jr.s NFL path has taken another sharp turn, this time landing him in Houston after the Cardinals agreed to send the former Ohio State standout and a future seventh-round pick to the Texans for a 2027 second- and sixth-rounder. The move is expected to become official once Harrison passes a physical, and it sets up a familiar reunion for one of the Buckeyes biggest recent stars.
Harrison will be back with C.J. Stroud, the quarterback who helped make him such a feared weapon in college before both became first-round NFL names. For Ohio State fans, it is the kind of pairing that feels instantly recognizable, even if the pro version has taken some unexpected stops to get there. [Read more 🡒]
Julian Sayin's 4 Touchdowns Didn't End Ohio State's Bigger Debate
Ohio State leaned heavily on Jeremiah Smith against Maryland, and the freshman receiver responded with two long touchdown catches that helped drive the Buckeyes offense. Julian Sayin did have a productive day overall, but his performance was more complicated than the box score suggested, with moments of poise mixed in with a fumble and an interception return touchdown tied to a protection breakdown.
Sayin did show some growth by extending plays and keeping drives alive, yet the larger concern for Ohio State remained the same afterward: the quarterback still has not consistently built strong connections with receivers outside of Smith. For a team with bigger goals ahead, that makes the passing game feel a little more settled in production than in identity. [Read more 🡒]