Preview: Maryland football vs. No. 4 Ohio State

Maryland football (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) searches for its first win over a top-five opponent since 2004 this weekend. It’ll need to do so on the road against No. 4 Ohio State (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) on Saturday.

The Terps have never defeated the Buckeyes in eight all-time meetings and were never particularly close to doing so aside from two home matchups in 2018 and 2022. Maryland squandered a 14-point lead and failed to convert a two-point conversion for the win in overtime in 2018. Maryland led by as little as three with less than a minute left four years later.

Coach Michael Locksley views this year’s matchup as a big opportunity for the Terps’ program. He believes the game will come down to his players making plays. 

“Having had the opportunity to compete against Ohio State quite a bit … whenever we’ve had success against a team like Ohio State, it comes down to the players in your program that you recruit playing to the best of their ability on that day,” Locksley said.

Maryland’s most recent outing resulted in a 44-17 victory over Indiana. Taulia Tagovailoa had one of his best showings as a Terp, becoming the first Maryland quarterback since 1994 to throw for five touchdowns in a game. He was named Big Ten Player of the Week for his performance.

Tagovailoa spearheads a Terps offense that ranks first in the Big Ten in yards per game (454.8). They sit second in points per game (38.6).

Defensively, Maryland holds one of the best defenses in the conference. It has excelled most notably in the turnover department, tied atop the Big Ten with 12 takeaways.

“Our defense is playing lights out, we’re getting turnovers,” Tagovailoa said. “We’re getting put in good position to score, and just our whole team, we just love playing together and we got to continue that.”

The Buckeyes are led by Ryan Day, and his quarterback-friendly offense that has produced many NFL-caliber passers. His offense is led by Kyle McCord this season as a first-year starter. 

McCord and the rest of the offense struggled against Indiana in Week 1 despite a 20-point win. Ohio State struggled to pull away, and constant pressure led to an out-of-sync McCord on multiple deep passes. But the Buckeyes have found their rhythm since then, and are fresh off a bye with an extra week of preparation entering this weekend.

Ohio State is loaded with talent, having two of the best receiving weapons in college football in juniors Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka. Each weapon eclipsed 1,100 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Harrison ranks second in yards per game (84) and third in yards per catch (19.8) among conference wideouts this season. 

The Terps’ secondary will have their hands full with the Buckeyes’ receivers. Safety Dante Trader Jr. understands the threat Harrison displays.

“Obviously his speed is increasing and his catch radius is crazy,” Trader said. “He’s a very talented athlete, so we’re going to have to do a big job of knowing where 18 is all the time.”

While Ohio State sits in the bottom-half of the Big Ten in rushing yards, junior TreVeyon Henderson is among the conference’s best. He had an excellent freshman campaign that featured over 1,500 total yards and 19 total touchdowns. 

The Buckeyes’ defense has shined this season, allowing the third-fewest yards per game in the Big Ten (255.5). They’ve yet to give up a touchdown from more than two yards out.

Maryland’s offense will face its biggest challenge of the campaign against Ohio State. So will its defense.

“I think our players need to understand that this is why you come to Maryland, to compete against the best and here’s an opportunity and what a gauge it’ll be for our program to see what happens as we go there to compete,” Locksley said.