Where: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
TV/Radio: Fox/1410
Series history: Ohio State leads 8-0 since the first meeting in 2014. The Buckeyes are 4-0 against the Terrapins in Columbus.
Last meeting: Dallan Hayden ran for 146 yards and three touchdowns and Ohio State held off a fourth quarter rally attempt by the Terps to win 43-30 last year in College Park.
Coaches: Ohio State’s Ryan Day is 49-6 in five seasons, including 32–2 in the Big Ten. Mike Locksley is 25-28 in five seasons at Maryland and 27-54 overall in eight seasons as a head coach.
Ohio State notes: Ohio State averages 57.3 points per game in the series against Maryland… The Buckeyes are is sixth nationally in total defense (255.5 yards per game) and second in scoring (8.5 points per game)… The Buckeyes are 38th in scoring offense (34.5 points per game) and 33rd in total offense (447.5 ypg.)…They are 95th nationally in third down conversions on offense and 126th in sacks on defense with five… Ohio State is 10-0 in the regular season with more than one week to prepare for an opponent under Ryan Day… Ohio State has two players from Maryland: defensive end Mitchell Melton, who graduated from Silver Spring Good Counsel, and defensive tackle Jason Moore (Ft. Washington DeMatha Catholic).
Maryland notes: Maryland won its first five games of a season by at least 18 points for the first time in program history… The last time the Terps scored 31 or more points in any five-game stretch in the same season was 2002 where they did it in six in a row… The Terps have not lost since they last faced Ohio State, winning seven games in a row overall… Maryland ranks first in the Big Ten in total offense (454.8 yards per game) and second in scoring offense (38.6 points per game), passing offense (297.4 ypg.) and third down percentage 49.3%)… Dating back to last season, Maryland has won its last three Big Ten games by at least 20 points, the longest such streak of conference games for Maryland since 2002 when the program still competed in the ACC… Mike Purcell, a seventh-year senior who starts on the offensive line, is Maryland’s only player from Ohio. He spent the first six seasons of his college career at Elon, where he was a second-team All-CAA selection last fall.
Quoted: Locksley on the Terps and the Buckeyes: “We are trending in the right direction. We have the momentum we need to have heading into a game like this. Ohio State is up. ... It’s a great opportunity for the Terps football family. I have a lot of respect for Ryan Day, his program and what he’s been able to accomplish there the last three or four years. They’re a very balanced team. You look at them on offense and defense. They are scoring. They are keeping people out of the end zone. They had a big win a couple of weeks ago against Notre Dame. Talented players. Marvin Harrison (Jr.) will be the best receiver we will face all year long. He is really talented, makes big plays, makes contested catches.”
Next week: The Buckeyes will travel to Purdue for a noon game at next Saturday. The Terrapins will return home to face Illinois at 3:30 p.m.
Prediction: Ohio State 34, Maryland 24
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