‘That’s About Discipline,’ ‘Disappointed in Myself’ — Ryan Day and Julian Sayin Own Ohio State’s Mistakes in Sloppy Win Over Maryland

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No. 5 Ohio State beat Maryland 45-16 on Saturday, a 29-point win that still left coach Ryan Day with plenty to fix before next week’s trip to unbeaten Indiana.

Quarterback Julian Sayin threw four touchdown passes and receiver Jeremiah Smith scored on his first two touches, but the Buckeyes (5-1, 3-0 Big Ten) were flagged eight times for 65 yards and turned the ball over twice at a rainy Ohio Stadium.

Ohio State Penalties Help Fuel Maryland Scoring Drive

After Sayin’s 68-yard touchdown pass to tight end Nate Roberts late in the first quarter, Maryland answered with a touchdown drive that ended on quarterback Malik Washington’s 5-yard run early in the second.

Maryland finished with 146 total yards and 10 first downs, and that drive produced its only offensive touchdown. Ohio State’s defense, though, did not record a sack or force a turnover.

“Four penalties by Ohio State’s defense extended Maryland’s last drive, helping it to reach the end zone and cut the lead to 14-10,” Joey Kaufman, an Ohio State football beat writer at The Columbus Dispatch, wrote.

One of those flags came on third down, when defensive end Beau Atkinson was called for roughing the passer after Washington’s throw fell incomplete. The penalty gave Maryland a first down near midfield.

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Day said the number of penalties is a direct reflection of coaching, which is why he was so upset during the game.

“That’s about us. That’s about discipline. That’s not the sign of a good team.”

Sayin Throws Four Touchdown Passes but Turns the Ball Over Twice

Ohio State’s offense piled up 449 yards, and Smith did much of the early damage. He turned two short catches into touchdowns of 33 and 40 yards, giving him 38 career receiving touchdowns, one shy of the Big Ten record.

Sayin finished 13 of 21 for 242 yards. His other touchdown passes went to Roberts and tight end Mason Williams, whose 1-yard catch with 24 seconds left in the first half made it 31-10.

The giveaways were another matter. Sayin fumbled twice, losing one on a third-down sack in the first quarter, and Maryland linebacker Daniel Wingate returned a deflected pass 52 yards for a touchdown in the third to pull the Terrapins within 31-16.

“Julian Sayin quietly has two sacks and, now, an interception,” one fan wrote after the pick-six. “The 4 TD passes have overshadowed it.”

“Disappointed in myself,” Sayin said of his ball security. He said it could have been three turnovers and that he has to do better in that area. Sayin’s PFN CFB QB Impact grade of 94.1 through Week 5 ranks 2nd of 165 graded and qualified FBS quarterbacks.

Ohio State answered Wingate’s return on the ground. Running back Bo Jackson broke a 25-yard touchdown run less than three minutes later and finished with 107 rushing yards and two scores.

The offensive line was reshuffled again. Austin Siereveld, who had moved from right guard to right tackle for three games to replace the injured Phillip Daniels, was a late addition to the availability report.

Day said Daniels wasn’t quite ready, so hours before kickoff the staff moved Gabe VanSickle from right guard to right tackle and started Jake Cook at right guard. Day said VanSickle handled it like a veteran, and Sayin said he trusts the group.

“The banged-up Buckeyes played sloppy,” Spencer Holbrook, an Ohio State beat writer for Lettermen Row, wrote. “They didn’t have their best — at all — and still dominated Maryland for an easy home win.”

Looking Ahead in Week 7 to Indiana

Ohio State’s Week 7 game next Saturday is at Indiana, which stayed unbeaten at 6-0 with a 20-17 win at Nebraska on Saturday. The Hoosiers beat the Buckeyes 13-10 in last season’s Big Ten Championship Game.

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Sayin called the Hoosiers, the defending national champions, a very good opponent and said the week ahead is about improving and cleaning up mistakes.

PFN’s College Football Playoff Meter gives Ohio State a 51.7% chance to win in Bloomington. A win would lift the Buckeyes’ playoff chances from 76.6% to 92.4%, and a loss would drop them to 59.6%.

“I don’t think we’ll get all of those guys back that were on the list, but for sure we’re gonna get a good portion of those guys back this week,” Day said of the starters who sat out. He added that Daniels was close to playing and should get a full week of practice.

Day said there was a lot of good in Saturday’s win. “Some good there, but we know what it’s going to take next week. We’ve got to keep working towards perfection.”

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.

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