Even though No. 5 Ohio State is a five-touchdown favorite over visiting Maryland on Saturday afternoon, the games within the game add intrigue.
For the Buckeyes (4-1, 2-0 Big Ten), the offense runs through — or more accurately, passes through — Heisman Trophy hopeful Jeremiah Smith, who will look for his third consecutive game with 200-plus receiving yards in the conference matchup in Columbus, Ohio.
After making 11 catches for 206 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-14 win at then-No. 14 Iowa last week, Smith — a junior wide receiver — has 23 catches for 423 yards and six TDs in the past two games.
“When I think of playing teams that have explosive playmakers like that, I think the thing that comes to mind for defending them is, how do you cup it?,” Maryland coach Michael Locksley said. “How do you keep it in front of you and do a really good job of cupping the skilled players that they have, and that means playing with depth, good eyes and vision, and then doing a really good job of a bunch of guys running to the football?”
The Buckeyes, who are second nationally in passing at 357 yards per game, will present the ultimate challenge for the Terrapins (2-3, 0-2), who have allowed less than 250 passing yards in eight straight road games, the fourth-longest active streak in the FBS.
This season, Maryland is averaging 198.4 passing yards allowed per game, 57th in the nation.
“The attention is mostly focused on what do we have to do to prepare ourselves?” Locksley said. “Against a team like Ohio State, the goal for us is: how do we get a game like that into the fourth quarter to give us any chance?”
Maryland has its own talented wide receiver in junior Chris Durr Jr., who ranks second nationally with 8.4 receptions per game, behind Smith’s 8.8 per game. Durr has made at least six catches in all five games this season.
The Terrapins likely will test Ohio State sophomore cornerback Devin Sanchez in his first season as a starter. He has been flagged for pass interference twice in each of the past two games.
“I think his approach has been good, but I think he would tell you that he wants to play better, too,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “So, this is a big week for him to step up against some really talented receivers from Maryland to take the next step in his progression because he’s played for us, but we need him to be that lockdown corner that we all know he can be.”
The Terrapins’ season has been derailed by three straight losses, most recently a 48-23 defeat at Nebraska last week.
“I’ll start by acknowledging that obviously the last three weeks isn’t good enough, isn’t the standard that we need to have for our program,” Locksley said. “Our players know it. We, as coaches, know it. Obviously, I know it. But nobody’s hanging their heads. We’ve got a lot of work to do, and we’re going to keep working through it.”
History will not be on Maryland’s side on Saturday. The Buckeyes lead the series 9-0 and have surpassed the 60-point mark on offense four times.
