Buckeyes HC Ryan Day Pumps up the Terrapins Ahead of Saturday's Matchup
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Saturday inside Ohio Stadium has all of the makings of a trap game for the Ohio State Buckeyes. They had a big, emotional win over the Iowa Hawkeyes last week and are on the cusp of a massive game against the Indiana Hoosiers next weekend.
The game in the middle is against the Maryland Terrapins, who, respectfully, have become incredibly irrelevant in the state of college football.
They come into Saturday's game with a 2-3 overall record and a 0-2 record in the Big Ten. Believe it or not, since the Terps joined the conference in 2014, they have not won a football game against a ranked Big Ten opponent. They carry a 0-39 record in the conference, which they are looking to break on Saturday.
This game is incredibly tilted one direction, but the Buckeyes' head coach isn't letting his team believe that. In his midweek press conference, he commented saying that Maryland is a really good team with good players and good coaches. He expanded by challenging his team, commenting that the standard at Ohio State is a high one, and they better be ready to meet it.
These games are so tough for players because it is in these types of games, no one is evaluated by the scoreboard. Everyone is evaluated in relation to the program standard, no more, no less.
If you play well, you get rewarded; if you have any mistakes, they are amplified, and the coaches in weeks like this are way more on edge.
However, these players know that this is the case. This is no surprise to these Buckeyes, and they know what they are up against this weekend.
Ohio State is the massive favorite in this football game for good reason. They are so good, and they approach everything so professionally. They know exactly what they need to do every week.
It is weeks like this that are a major challenge to a team, but you can learn a lot about the approach that a team has on a weekly basis. After watching Day's Buckeyes for all of these years, these players are not concerned about just winning one game; they are concerned about the bigger picture.
The bigger picture for this year is a national championship, full stop. To get there, you can't go a week and not improve. The Buckeyes need a good showing, and they will be challenged to do just that this week against the Maryland Terrapins.
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