Maryland working to limit Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State offense this weekend
- Ahmed Ghafir
- Oct 4, 2023
- 4 min read
After picking up a comfortable win against Michigan State in the first road game of the season, Maryland football is in the midst of Ohio State prep before the team heads to Columbus on Friday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqfqDCTIReU
Maryland’s passing attack has lifted the offense through the first five weeks of the season with Taulia Tagovailoa under center, entering the weekend with the 19th-best nationally and second-best passing offense in the Big Ten (297.4).
Just ahead of Maryland? Ohio State, who’s averaging 298.5 yards through four games this season.
The Buckeyes are doing so under junior quarterback Kyle McCord, who is set to make his sixth career start on Saturday. McCord sits just a sliver behind Taulia in completion percentage, throwing 74-of-113 for 1,055 yards, six touchdowns and an interception, but the first-year starter is coming off a bye weekend after leading Ohio State on a 15-play game-winning drive in South Bend.
“He’s gotten better every week that he started and that’s what you expect with a first-year starter at the quarterback position. He’s taken over a system that is a quarterback-friendly system. He has the intangibles. He has the ability to make all the throws, but I thought they’ve really done a really good job of how they’ve brought him along,” Maryland head coach Mike Locksley said on Tuesday.
Of course, having wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. to throw to will make the job easier for any quarterback.
“Marvin Harrison will be the best receiver we will face all year long,” Locksley added. “He’s really talented, makes big plays, makes the contested catches.”
After suffering an injury in the win over Notre Dame two weeks ago, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day announced that Marvin Harrison Jr. was a full-go participant in practice this week after getting a chance to rest through the bye. That gives Maryland’s secondary undoubtedly their toughest test to-date, and likely their toughest assignment since facing him back at home last November.
“His catch radius is crazy. He's a very talented athlete,” safety Dante Trader Jr. added. “So, we're going to have to do a big job of knowing where 18 is all the time and just be able to give confidence to our corners or whoever's over there covering.”
Harrison sits second in yards per game (84) and third in yards per catch (19.8) in the Big Ten heading into this weekend, but he’s far from the only weapon. Emeka Egbuka has caught a pass in 18 consecutive games and is less than 400 receiving yards away from becoming the 12th Buckeye receiver with 2,000 career yards, along with six career 100-yard games. Tight end Cade Stover also enters Saturday with five or more catches in three of the Buckeyes' four games this season.
Maryland cornerback Tarheeb Still left the Indiana win with an apparent injury but met with the media on Tuesday and was spotted dressed during Tuesday’s practice. The senior will be a big part in Maryland’s answer to limit the Buckeyes’ passing attack but knows what makes Harrison Jr. special.
“I would just say they do a good job of getting him the ball. Lining him up in different spots, try to take advantage of one-on-one matchups.”
Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson was limited in last year’s matchup in College Park, but he’ll be the engine that makes the Buckeyes’ rushing attack go on Saturday.
“The run game shows up. 32 is a really special player. Henderson kid is as talented a running back that we’ll face and it’s going to be important for us to do a great job of one, trying to make them play one-handed by trying to take away the run game which is something that we’re work in progress still with our defenses being more efficient in our run defense. We have not given up a bunch of yards but some of the efficiency of how people have been able to run the ball, especially on first down, we’ve got to do a better job this week especially against this team.”
Maryland's offense will also face its stiffest test of the season against a Buckeyes defense that ranks inside the top 25 multiple categories, including total defense and first downs allowed. The Terps will look to carry its offensive momentum into Columbus, facing their first true hostile environment of the season with a chance to reset the national narrative en route to their sixth consecutive win.
“We’re trying to compete for Big Ten championships and we’re going against one of the top programs in our league, if not in the country. And so, if that doesn’t motivate you, there’s nothing I can say or do that will,” Locksley said. “I hope that through recruiting and the type of way we develop our players mentally here, that they understand the task at hand, they understand what it’s going to take to go up and have success in Columbus. And it’s not gonna be a whole bunch of gimmicky you know, rah rah rah fiery speeches. It’s gonna come down to big time players and they can make big time plays in big time games. Our staff has to do our part to put together the plan and then the players have to do their part as part of the partnership of executing it. And you know what? Go to Columbus, lay it on the line. And if it’s good enough, it is. If it’s not, we’ll get it fixed. And then we’ll get prepared for whoever’s next on our schedule.”
Maryland vs. Ohio State is set for a 12 PM kickoff as part of FOX's Big Noon Saturday.
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