No. 5 Ohio State did what it was supposed to do on Homecoming, handling Maryland 45-16 at Ohio Stadium and moving to the midpoint of its 2026 regular season with another convincing win.
The Buckeyes didn’t need a fireworks show from their biggest names to get there, either. Quarterback Julian Sayin and receiver Jeremiah Smith both put up solid numbers, but the day belonged to a balanced offense and a defense that kept Maryland from ever finding real traction.
Sayin completed 62 percent of his passes for 242 yards and four touchdowns, but he also put the ball on the ground once and threw an interception. Smith was held to four catches, his lowest total of the season, and still turned them into 93 yards and two scores.
In the backfield, Ohio State got the running game Ryan Day has been demanding. Bo Jackson answered with 23 carries for 107 yards and two touchdowns, becoming the Buckeyes’ first 100-yard rusher of the year.
Ja'Kobi Jackson didn’t score for the first time this season, but he added 76 yards on 14 carries.
Ohio State’s defense had little trouble with a Maryland offense that never settled in. Safety Jaylen McClain led the way with eight tackles.
Earl Little Jr., linebackers TJ Alford and Payton Pierce, and defensive tackle Eddrick Houston each finished with four tackles, and Houston added 1.5 tackles for loss. Little, along with cornerbacks Jermaine Mathews Jr. and Dominick Kelly, also broke up a pass.
The Buckeyes now turn to a top-10 trip to Indiana next week, and the statistical picture looks plenty familiar in some areas and a little sharper in others. On defense, Ohio State is giving up 13.2 points per game, which ranks eighth nationally and second in the Big Ten.
The Buckeyes are fifth nationally in total defense at 246.8 yards per game and also sit eighth nationally against the pass at 150.7 yards per game. Against the run, they’re allowing 96.17 yards per game, good for 21st nationally.
Some of the other defensive numbers are more middling. Ohio State is 64th nationally in opponent third-down conversions at 36.14 percent and tied for 58th in opponent red-zone conversions at 81.82 percent. The Buckeyes have nine sacks, which leaves them tied for 94th nationally.
Special teams has been a mixed bag as well. Ohio State is averaging 43.57 yards per punt, up from last week’s mark and now 61st nationally.
The Buckeyes are kicking field goals at a 75 percent clip, while extra points remain perfect at 100 percent. On returns, though, the numbers are not as strong: 15.43 yards per kickoff return and 5.94 yards per punt return.
Saturday also extended a few notable streaks and milestones. Ohio State is now 10-0 all-time against Maryland since the Terrapins joined the Big Ten in 2014, and every meeting has featured at least 37 Buckeye points. The Buckeyes’ all-time home record at Ohio Stadium is 491-115-20, and since 2000 they’ve gone 160-17 at home, the best mark in the country among FBS programs.
For Ryan Day, the Maryland game was his 100th as Ohio State’s head coach. He is now 87-13, the fourth-most wins in school history, and his .870 winning percentage trails only Knute Rockne among FBS head coaches in history.
In Big Ten play, Day’s teams are 58-5 overall and 30-2 at home. Over his 63-game Big Ten tenure, Ohio State has averaged 39.9 points while allowing 15.3, and the passing game has produced a nation-leading 274 touchdowns.
The Buckeyes’ broader run of dominance under Day is just as stark. Since the start of the 2024 national championship season, Ohio State has allowed only 11.6 points per game, the best figure in the country by 1.6 points. The Buckeyes also lead the nation in yards allowed at 239.5 per game and passing yards allowed at 149.8.
Smith keeps stacking records, too. He entered Saturday already owning the program marks for receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, and he remains the only receiver in Buckeye history to top 3,000 receiving yards. After his two-touchdown day against Maryland, he is 315 yards and two touchdowns away from breaking the all-time Big Ten receiving record.
Sayin’s place in the record book keeps growing as well. His career completion percentage of 74.6 is the best in program history and would also be an NCAA record, and his 5,466 career passing yards rank 10th all-time at Ohio State. With four more touchdown passes against Maryland, he moved into the top 10 in program history with 50 passing touchdowns.
There was also a big play from a tight end. Nate Roberts hauled in a career-long 68-yard touchdown in the first quarter, the second-longest touchdown reception by an Ohio State tight end since 1996, behind only Jake Stoneburner’s 72-yard score against Penn State.
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
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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 🡒]