Ohio State didn’t just beat Maryland on Saturday. The Buckeyes took away the Terrapins’ best path to staying competitive and never let it open back up.
Maryland arrived with a passing game that had been one of the more productive in the country, averaging 277.2 yards through the air per game, good for 28th nationally. It also had Chris Durr Jr., who came in ranked second in the nation with 8.4 catches per game behind only Jeremiah Smith.
Durr had logged at least six receptions in every game this season, and the pregame buzz centered on that matchup. It never really became one.
Ohio State rolled to a 45-16 win, and the Buckeyes’ secondary against Maryland’s receivers ended up being the decisive battle.
Malik Washington’s afternoon was as rough as it gets. He finished 12-of-25 for 64 yards, the lowest passing total of his career.
That worked out to 2.6 yards per attempt, and it was only one yard more than Ohio State allowed through the air against Kent State. Durr was held to four catches for 15 yards.
Maryland, as a team, managed just 146 total yards and 10 first downs while averaging 2.8 yards per play. Ohio State finished with a 449-146 edge in yardage, including a 242-64 advantage through the air.
The game was tilted from the start. Maryland’s first possession ended in a three-and-out, and Washington missed a receiver on third down.
That set the tone for a day in which he never looked comfortable and rarely found anyone open downfield. The rain played a part.
Ohio State’s coverage did the rest.
And the Buckeyes did it without Jay Timmons, their top cover corner before he injured his hamstring against Illinois. He was listed as probable on Friday’s availability report, but he sat out for the second straight week.
Cam Calhoun stepped in again and played 49 snaps, grading out as Ohio State’s highest-rated starting corner, according to Pro Football Focus. Devin Sanchez also faced a major test, and Ryan Day had spent the week pushing him to become, “that lockdown corner that we all know he can be,” while Sanchez and Jermaine Mathews Jr. helped keep Maryland’s wideouts from finding much room outside.
The safeties were every bit as important.
Jaylen McClain led Ohio State with eight tackles, and six of them came on plays where Maryland gained four yards or fewer. Earl Little Jr. added four tackles and a pass breakup. Whenever Maryland completed something underneath, a Buckeye was usually there immediately to shut it down.
By halftime, Ohio State had already built a 282-87 yardage edge. Then the defense opened the second half with three-and-outs on Maryland’s first two possessions.
Durr’s day never got going after a quiet opening half that ended with two catches for 13 yards.
Maryland did not exactly earn most of its points, either.
The first came after Julian Sayin was sacked and fumbled in the first quarter, giving the Terrapins a short field that ended in a field goal. Later, in the third quarter, a deflected Sayin pass was intercepted by linebacker Daniel Wingate and returned 51 yards for a touchdown, pulling Maryland within 31-16 and further emptying a crowd that had already thinned in the rain. Those two turnovers accounted for nine of Maryland’s 16 points.
The Terps’ only offensive touchdown also came with help from Ohio State. The Buckeyes appeared to have forced a third-down incompletion, but Beau Atkinson shoved Washington after the throw and drew a roughing-the-passer penalty.
Two offsides calls and a delay of game followed on the same drive, and Washington eventually scored on a five-yard run. Without that penalty, Maryland may never have reached the end zone on offense.
There will be things Ohio State wants back there, especially the penalties. Indiana will not be nearly as generous. But the bigger picture was hard to miss: on the plays that actually mattered, the Buckeyes’ defense controlled the game.
That’s a good sign with the schedule about to get louder. Ohio State heads to Indiana next Saturday to face the 6-0 reigning national champions, who beat the Buckeyes in last year’s Big Ten title game. After that come USC, Oregon and Michigan.
The offense will keep drawing plenty of attention, as it should. Bo Jackson ran for 107 yards and two touchdowns, Sayin threw four touchdown passes, and Smith scored on his first two touches to move within one of Braylon Edwards’ Big Ten career record.
Still, if Ohio State is going to keep winning the big ones, the version that showed up against Maryland matters. The Buckeyes came in facing a receiver who had been catching passes by the bundle, and their secondary made sure he barely touched the ball.
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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 🡒]
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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 🡒]