Maryland Football opponent overview: Ohio State Buckeyes

Jul 26

5 min read

Back in 2023 when Maryland football last played Ohio State, they actually looked like they belonged and had a legit shot at winning the game. However, that only lasted for 45 minutes before Ohio State blew the gates open in the fourth quarter to end up with a 37-17 win. This year, in their third conference game, the Terps will travel back to Columbus on October 10th where they will look to get their first win in school history over the Buckeyes.

The Buckeyes are coming off a season where they made it all the way to the CFP quarterfinals before losing to Miami. Ohio State finished the season going 12-2 with their only other loss being to Indiana in the Big Ten championship. The Buckeyes are led by Ryan Day who is now in his eighth season as the head coach, has a career record of 82-12 and has never had more than two losses in a single season. The Buckeyes have made the national championship twice under Day including winning it all in 2024.

Offense

Key Players: WR Jeremiah Smith, QB Julian Sayin, RB Bo Jackson

Scoring: 33.4 ppg

Passing: 268.2 ypg

Rushing: 154.4 ypg

Turnovers: .8 turnovers per game

For the second year in a row, the Buckeyes have arguably one of the most complete and talented rosters in the country. And that is especially true for the offense that returns 71% of its production as well as bringing in a few key transfers to fill in the hole at tight end that became open.

The offense will be led by Sayin in his second season as the Buckeyes starting quarterback. Sayin finished 2025 throwing for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns while completing a whopping 77% of his passes and only throwing eight interceptions. The one downside about Sayin however is how little he uses his rushing ability. He is not a slow quarterback but he rarely used his legs last season which led to him rushing for -44 yards last year due to him being sacked 16 times last season. If Sayin is able to read defenses faster and uses his legs a bit more, that will be something that will take the Buckeye offense to a whole new level.

Sayin’s favorite target is Smith. Smith is widely regarded as the best wide receiver in the country and many have said he would have been the first receiver taken in last year's draft as well had he been eligible. The 6-foot-3, 223 pound wide receiver is a freak athlete that looks like a grown man amongst boys out on the field. Smith finished with 87 catches for 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns which was top seven in the country in all three stats earning himself a unanimous first team All-American selection. Smith eclipsed 100 yards in six of the 13 games he appeared in and scored in all but four games last season. Slowing down Smith might not be impossible but it will very much be one of the toughest things the Terps defense will look to do against the Buckeyes.

While most of the defense’s focus is on Sayin, Smith, and the Buckeyes passing game, you can not sleep on their running game. As a freshman, Jackson ran for 1,090 yards and six touchdowns while averaging over six yards per carry. Jackson will also be running behind an offensive line that returns four of the five starters from last season as well. Jackson will be a key piece for the Buckeye offense if they want to stay balanced and keep defenses on their toes so they can not focus on just the lethal passing game that the Buckeyes have. Jackson earned himself first team Freshman All-American nod last year with multiple outlets while he led the team in rushing.

Defense

Key Players: DE Kenyatta Jackson, S Jaylen McClain, S Terry Moore

Scoring: 9.3 ppg

Passing: 129.7 ypg

Rushing: 89.4 ypg

Turnovers: 1.1 turnovers per game

The Buckeyes defense in 2025 put up numbers that you rarely see in the college game anymore. The Buckeyes were first in the country in team defense stats of scoring, total yards, passing yards, passing touchdowns, rushing touchdowns, and first downs. While Matt Patricia is back as defensive coordinator, unlike the offense, their defense only returns 50% of their production from 2025.

The Buckeye defensive line returns just two role players from last season in Jackson and Eddrick Houston. Jackson was tied for second on the team in sacks while also being second on the team in TFLs. Jackson finished the 2025 season with 28 total tackles along with 11 TFLs, 6.5 sacks and added two pass deflections to his name as well. Ohio State also brought in a couple transfers in James Smith and John Walker to fill the holes on the defensive line.

The biggest question for the Buckeyes on defense will be their linebacker room. Both starters from last season were first round picks in the 2026 draft. The Buckeyes brought in just one linebacker transfer in Christian Alliegro. The Buckeyes will rely heavily on depth guys from last season to step up in the linebacker room. Along with Alliegro, look for Payton Pierce to try and hold on to the other starting linebacker spot.

The strength of the Buckeye defense will seem to be their secondary in 2026. The Buckeyes bring back their starting strong safety while they lose star free safety Caleb Downs. However, the Buckeyes did bring in star transfer Terry Moore from Duke. Moore spent the 2025 season injured but in 2024, he finished that season with 71 total tackles, four interceptions, two forced fumbles, and a sack. McClain finished the 2025 season with 53 total tackles and three pass deflections. Another starter that returns is cornerback Jermain Matthews who was tied for the lead on the team in interceptions and was tied for second in pass deflections last season. Another player to look out for in the secondary will be incoming transfer from Florida State in Earl Little. Little is projected to be the starting Nickel Back for the Buckeyes in 2026.

What to watch for

Last season, Maryland's defense was the 11th worst P4 defense against the run allowing 175.6 yards per game. This year, with several returners on the defensive side of the ball and Lavon Johnson and Derrick LeBlanc as incoming transfers, the Terps will look to build up their run defense in year two of the Ted Monachino era. With most of the focus on the Ohio State passing attack, The Terp defense will need their run defense to step up in stopping the Buckeye rushing attack led by Bo Jackson. If the Terps are able to slow down the rushing attack of Ohio State without having extra players in the box to focus on it, it could massively help them pull off the upset in Columbus.

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