With The Game looming next week, Ohio State looks to take care of business this week and remain unbeaten against Maryland as it plays its final road game of the regular season.
Outside of Penn State, the only team that’s scored more than 21 points against Ohio State this year, Maryland’s offense has been better throughout the season as a whole than any of the other Big Ten opponents the Buckeyes have faced so far. Penn State and Toledo are the only teams Ohio State has played that have averaged more points and yards per game than Maryland this season, and Penn State is the only team the Buckeyes have played that has averaged more passing yards per game.
If Maryland’s offense can return to form this week, it will be a test for an Ohio State defense that hasn’t faced much top competition. If the Terrapins’ offense instead continues to struggle as it has the last two weeks, Saturday’s game could quickly become a blowout.
“I'm confident that our team will show up. They showed up yesterday with the right mindset,” Locksley said Tuesday. “As I told our team, there's nothing more dangerous than a desperate man that has nothing to lose. And that's kind of where we are. They've got everything to lose. They’ve got a big game after ours.
With an unbeaten record and only two regular-season games left to play, Ohio State doesn’t need to chase style points against Maryland. Theoretically, the Buckeyes probably could even lose to Maryland and still have all their goals on the table – next week’s Ohio State/Michigan game will decide the winner of the Big Ten East no matter what happens this week – but that’s certainly not a chance Ohio State wants to take.
Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles says the Buckeyes “better be prepared” for Tagovailoa to make plays based on what he’s done over the totality of the season. “He's a great young man and really talented,” Day said. “He can anticipate, he's got a strong arm, he can extend plays with his feet. He's done that in the past. He's played a lot of football in the Big Ten and won some big games.”Maryland’s passing offense poses a step up in competition for Ohio State’s defense not only because of its quarterback but also because of its talented group of receivers, which is led by Jarrett.
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