Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Maryland Terrapins Complete Game Preview
After stunting Cincinnati with a 50-28 victory in Columbus and inserting itself back into the hunt for a playoff spot, the Ohio State football team will head to College Park for its Big Ten opener with Maryland.
Having gotten off to a 4-1 start in their inaugural season in the conference, the Terrapins have looked strong through their first five wins of the season and are coming off consecutive wins over Syracuse and Indiana.
The Buckeyes, meanwhile, are hoping to maintain the recent wave of momentum that they've enjoyed since their Sept. 6 loss to Virginia Tech. After being handed its first defeat of the season at the hands of the Hokies, Ohio State appears to have regained its footing with a 66-0 thrashing of Kent State and last weekend's beatdown of the Bearcats.
Will the Buckeyes continue their streak of success, or will Maryland earn its first signature win of its Big Ten era? We'll find out this weekend. But until then, here's everything you need to know about Ohio State's conference opener with the Terrapins:
Date: Saturday, Oct. 4
Time: 12 p.m. ET
Place: Byrd Stadium in College Park, Maryland
TV: ABC
Spread: Ohio State (-10), via Vegas Insider
Ohio State Keys to Victory
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Bring Back the Silver Bullets
While the Ohio State offense has found its footing, the same can't be said for its defense, which struggled mightily against Cincinnati on Saturday. The Buckeyes surrendered 352 yards and four touchdowns to Bearcats quarterback Gunner Kiel, who connected on scoring throws of 60, 83 and 78 yards.
Those were the types of plays that were supposed to disappear under new defensive coordinator Chris Ash, who was brought in to help fix an Ohio State pass defense that ranked 118th out of 125 teams a season ago. But after the Buckeyes' latest outing, it's back to the drawing board for Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer, who was clearly displeased with what he saw from his secondary against Cincinnati.
"I'm going to get involved on Sunday," Meyer said of his pass defense. "We'll just have to re-evaluate what we're doing, who we're doing it with, and make sure we're giving our team the best opportunity to win."
Maryland may not possess as potent of a passing attack as the Bearcats—the Terrapins rank 49th in the country with 262.4 passing yards per game—but it does have talent that can make Ohio State pay if it doesn't shore up its struggles. What solutions the Buckeyes find this week will go a long way toward determining their ceiling not just for Saturday, but perhaps the remainder of the season.
Bring Along Barrett
Despite its defense's inefficiencies, the Ohio State offense has been clicking on all cylinders in recent weeks, thanks in large part to the stellar play of quarterback J.T. Barrett. In his past two starts, the redshirt freshman signal-caller has thrown for a combined 642 yards, 10 touchdowns and just one interception.
Becoming the first Ohio State quarterback to throw for at least 300 yards in consecutive games since Troy Smith in 2005, Barrett has certainly been impressive after getting off to a shaky start in the Buckeyes' first two games.
After Braxton Miller's season-ending shoulder injury thrust Barrett into the starting lineup just two weeks prior to the start of the season, the Wichita Falls, Texas, product now looks every bit like the distributor many anticipated he would be in the two-time Big Ten MVP's absence.
"Pulling the trigger is the one thing [OSU offensive coordinator Tom Herman] talks about," Barrett said. "It goes with our preparation. We had a bye week, so that has a lot to do with it."
Heading back on the road for the first time since the Buckeyes' season-opening win over Navy on Aug. 30, it will be interesting to see how Barrett responds in his first game away from the friendly confines of Ohio Stadium in over a month. His trajectory has certainly been promising since Ohio State's loss to Virginia Tech, and this weekend could be a big leap in his development.
Maryland Keys to Victory
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Dictate Dimensions
Of the success that the Ohio State offense found against Cincinnati (710 yards, 45 first downs), much of it came from the Buckeyes' ability to both effectively run and throw. In addition to Barrett's 330-yard, four-touchdown performance, Ohio State added 380 yards on the ground against the Bearcats in a showcase of what Meyer has long envisioned for the Buckeyes offense.
"When you have a horizontal and vertical punch, that's the hardest offense is to defend," Meyer said. "They were playing wide defensive ends and that was giving us the interior run. The minute they tightened down, we hit the edge. That's what we're trying to be."
Which is why it will be imperative for Maryland to take away at least one of those options on Saturday. As Virginia Tech proved, if you can make Ohio State one-dimensional, beating the Buckeyes becomes a much simpler task.
Of course doing just that is easier said than done. But it will be up to the Terrapins to limit Ohio State's offensive threats or risk being run off the field as Cincinnati was in Columbus last weekend.
Digg In
As the Bearcats showed last Saturday, the Buckeyes struggle when taking on talented wide receivers, and perhaps no wide receiver Ohio State will face this season will be more talented Stefon Diggs.
After struggling with injuries in his sophomore season, Diggs has bounced back as a junior and is yet to catch fewer than five balls in a single contest this year. At 6'0" and 190 pounds, Diggs has tallied 29 receptions for 398 yards and two touchdowns this season.
Much like Cincinnati did with Chris Moore (three receptions, 221 yards, three touchdowns), it would behoove the Terrapins to target Diggs in hopes that he can take advantage of the Buckeyes' unproved secondary. Until Ohio State's scheme shows improvement from a season ago, beating the Buckeyes through the air appears to be the safest bet for OSU opponents.
Ohio State Players to Watch
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Ezekiel Elliott
After failing to receive double-digit carries in two of Ohio State's first three games of the season, running back Ezekiel Elliott more than doubled his attempt total on the season against Cincinnati, toting the rock 28 times. The sophomore ball-carrier made good on his coaches' decision to put the ball in his hands as well, tallying 182 rushing yards and 233 yards of total offense.
“We have a lot of confidence in Ezekiel Elliott,” Meyer said after the game. “Before he leaves here, he could be one of the great backs at Ohio State.”
As Elliott has proved essential in both the running and the passing game for the Buckeyes through the first third of the season, look for him to only become a more integral part of the Ohio State offense. That could especially be true against Maryland, who possesses the nation's 94th-ranked rushing defense, having surrendered an average of 210.5 rushing yards per game.
In other words, all signs point to another big game for Elliott, who has finally established himself as the Buckeyes' feature back.
"This is what you dream about when you're a kid," Elliott said. "To be the guy at a big school like Ohio State."
Joey Bosa
While it was an otherwise unmemorable day for the Buckeyes defense against the Bearcats, one play in particular stood out for a unit trying to regain its Silver Bullets moniker.
With Ohio State having just taken a 14-7 advantage on an Elliott touchdown in the first quarter, Kiel dropped back in the pocket, looking to even the score. But before the ball could even leave his hand, he was walloped by Buckeyes defensive end Joey Bosa, forcing a safety off a batted ball that proved to play a key role in what at one point was a 30-7 Ohio State advantage.
For Bosa, it was just another play in a sophomore season that has seen him continue to establish himself as one of the country's top defensive ends.
“I just made a move inside and my eyes got big and I ran as fast as I can and hit him as hard as I could,” Bosa said. “I actually thought he got the ball off so I stood up and went to walk back to the line. But I saw the ball pop out so, I don’t know, it was just exciting."
Through four games this season, Bosa has tallied 10 tackles, six of which have come for a loss, including 2.5 sacks. The Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native will look to add to those totals against the Terrapins—regardless of who it is lining up at quarterback for Maryland on Saturday.
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Maryland Players to Watch
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Stefon Diggs
The connection between Diggs and Ohio State isn't limited to this upcoming weekend, as the Buckeyes were one of the finalists in the 2012 recruiting race to land the former 5-star prospect. A native of Olney, Maryland, Diggs ultimately opted to stay close to home, spurning Ohio State and Florida in the process.
What was the Buckeyes' and Gators' loss was the Terrapins' gain, as two years later, Diggs has emerged as one of the top wide receivers in college football.
"I knew when watching him play that he was special," Meyer said of Diggs. "Now that I see him, he's as good as there is in America."
If Maryland does pull off an upset over Ohio State, it's a safe bet that Diggs will be a big reason why. Two years after being recruited by the Buckeyes, Diggs now finds himself as a different sort of target for Ohio State, which will undoubtedly have an eye on No. 1 at all times on Saturday.
Cole Farrand
The reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, Farrand put together quite the outing in the Terrapins' win over Indiana, tallying 19 tackles, 1.5 of which came for a loss against the Hoosiers. A 6'3", 245-pound linebacker by way of Green Pond, New Jersey, Farrand has already established quite the career during his time in College Park, earning back-to-back All-ACC honors in 2012 and 2013.
But playing in the Big Ten will present a whole new challenge for the senior, one which he's evidently taking head-on. The Buckeyes may be more athletically gifted than Indiana is, but facing Ohio State will give Farrand a platform to take his status from local legend to All-American.
With the Buckeyes showing the ability to test teams both passing and running, Farrand will play a significant role in attempting to limit the options of the Ohio State offense. Like Diggs on offense, it would be hard to imagine the Terrapins earning a signature win without their best defender playing a key role in it.
What They're Saying
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As Maryland continues its "Welcome to the Big Ten" tour, Meyer is well-aware of what his team is heading into as the Terrapins host their first home game in their new conference.
The Buckeyes are yet to play in a true road atmosphere—their opener in Baltimore against Navy was more of a neutral site than anything else—but that will change on Saturday once Ohio State enters Byrd Stadium for Saturday's 12 p.m. kickoff.
"I know what we're going to walk into," Meyer said. "It's going to be a noon game. But I imagine—I've been at places where this will be an atmosphere they've been working on this one, I imagine, for a while. This will be a big time atmosphere."
As for the addition of Maryland to the Big Ten, Meyer said that he's all for it.
Having successfully wooed Percy Harvin to Florida from the D.M.V. (Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia) area, the third-year Buckeyes head coach is well aware of the importance of the northeast to the college football-recruiting landscape and believes that adding the Terrapins to the conference will only help Ohio State add similar talent.
"Did a little homework back in Maryland, one of the most fertile areas in America recruiting. I think they're a great addition to the Big Ten. A lot of respect for them," Meyer said. "I remember watching the Maryland teams over the past, they've been very good. And I think this group is pretty good."
As for the Terrapins themselves, their confidence is riding high following their 37-15 win over Indiana last weekend. It will take a similar effort—if not a stronger one—to beat the Buckeyes, but for now, Maryland is content in proving that its adjustments to its new conference will be kept at a minimum.
"We showed that Maryland football is as good as anybody else," Farrand said, via The Baltimore Sun. "We definitely came out here today and showed how good we can be."
Prediction
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While Maryland poses an underrated threat of sorts given its potent offensive approach, it's hard to argue with the development that the Buckeyes have enjoyed in the past few weeks, especially as it pertains to Barrett.
He may only be a redshirt freshman, but Barrett has now put together two stellar starts that haven't been matched from a passing standpoint at Ohio State in nine years. Barrett still has a long way to go, but it's hard to view his recent progress as anything but promising for the trajectory of the Buckeyes.
While I don't expect Ohio State to follow its two recent blowouts with a third one, I do see the Buckeyes having this one in the bag by the start of the fourth quarter. Diggs will make some plays, but the Ohio State secondary should be better prepared for him than it was for Cincinnati, as this Saturday will present another test for the Buckeyes back end to gauge how far it's come from a season ago.
Look for the Buckeyes to continue to establish Elliott as a feature performer in their offense, while also allowing Barrett to take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves. Until the OSU defense proves otherwise, I wouldn't rule out another semi-shootout either, although I do expect improvements to be apparent on Saturday.
Final score: Ohio State 38, Maryland 21
Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Ohio State Lead Writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise all quotes obtained firsthand. All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.
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