Ohio State moved to 5-1 and 3-0 in Big Ten play with a 45-16 homecoming win over Maryland, but it wasn’t always pretty. The Terrapins pulled within 14-10 in the second quarter, and for a few minutes in the rain at Ohio Stadium, this one felt closer than it should have.
Then Maryland’s secondary simply stopped covering people. Jeremiah Smith found the end zone, Nate Roberts walked in completely uncovered on a 68-yard touchdown, and Ohio State took a 31-10 lead into halftime. Sayin threw an ugly pick-six to open the second half, but it was all Buckeyes after that.
What went well?
Jeremiah Smith, again.
Smith caught four passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns, scoring on his first two touches and moving within one touchdown catch of Braylon Edwards’ Big Ten career record. It was also great to see Kyle Parker make his debut, and Chris Henry Jr. added a nice long catch.
The run game was the story of the day. Ohio State ran for more than 200 yards, led by Bo Jackson with 107 yards and two touchdowns, the Buckeyes’ first 100 yard rusher of the season. Ja’Kobi Jackson added 76 yards, and it was good to see Legend Bey back and getting carries.
The secondary was outstanding. Ohio State held Malik Washington to a career low 64 passing yards and Chris Durr Jr., one of the country’s most productive receivers, to only 15 yards. Maryland’s only offensive touchdown came on a drive extended by a roughing the passer penalty. The rest of their points came off Ohio State turnovers.
What didn’t go so well?
Julian Sayin threw four touchdown passes and still may have had one of his worst games of the season.
Sayin missed throws, looked pressured and sped up at times, and had both a pick-six and a lost fumble on a sack. Against Maryland, Ohio State can get away with that. Against Indiana, they cannot.
The second receiver spot is still a question as well, especially with Brandon Inniss and Devin McCuin both out. Ohio State needs someone besides Smith to consistently win on the outside.
The pass rush was also a problem. Zero sacks against Maryland is pretty pathetic, and it’s the biggest thing the defense needs to fix before facing Indiana’s offense.
Other games around college football
There was plenty of chaos around the country this weekend:
- Iowa 41, Washington 24
- Oklahoma 27, Texas 24
- Georgia 20, Alabama 17
- Indiana 20, Nebraska 17
- Kentucky 35, LSU 34
- UCLA 17, Oregon 15
We spent some time on Iowa, which looked like a completely different team after the Ohio State loss. Is a playoff run realistic for the Hawkeyes?
Indiana stayed unbeaten with a tight win over Nebraska, setting up a massive top five game in Bloomington next Saturday between the reigning national champions and the Buckeyes.