What to watch for as Ohio State hosts Maryland

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

On paper, this one shouldn’t be close. Ohio State is a 34.5-point favorite, the Buckeyes have never lost to Maryland, and the Terrapins arrive in Columbus at 2-3 and 0-2 in Big Ten play after back-to-back blowout losses.

Maryland lost 54-3 at home to UCLA, then 48-23 at Nebraska, and Mike Locksley has now lost 18 of his last 20 Big Ten games.

So the result probably isn’t the story on Saturday. The story is what Ohio State looks like while getting there.

This is the last stretch of the schedule that could be considered easy before a trip to Indiana, a bye week, and then USC, Oregon and Michigan. That makes this the final chance to clean some things up before the games start counting for a lot more.

Here’s what I’ll be watching when the Buckeyes kick off their Homecoming game at 4:15 p.m. on BTN.

Does the run defense look like Iowa or Illinois?

The biggest question on defense for me is which version of the run defense shows up.

Two weeks ago against Illinois, Ohio State gave up 199 rushing yards and 462 total yards. That was the most yardage the Buckeyes had allowed since the 2024 regular season loss at Oregon.

Last week at Iowa though, they looked like a completely different unit. Ohio State held the Hawkeyes to 238 total yards and under 40 rushing yards. Ryan Day credited the defense with doing a better job setting the edge and closing off the C gap, and the defensive front looked far more physical getting off blocks.

Maryland’s offense has been all over the place. The Terps put up 300 yards in the first half at Nebraska and then managed only 62 the rest of the way.

If Ohio State’s front is as disciplined as it was at Kinnick, this game could get out of hand quickly. The Iowa game looked like the real Ohio State defense, and I want to see that again this week. Consistency against the run is going to matter a lot more in a month than it does Saturday.

The secondary has two storylines of its own. The first is Jay Timmons. Before he hurt his hamstring against Illinois, the true freshman had been Ohio State’s best cover corner and their starting nickelback. He dressed but didn’t play at Iowa, and Cam Calhoun made his first career start in his place.

If Timmons plays Saturday, I want to see whether he looks like himself, especially in coverage and when he’s asked to blitz off the edge. A healthy Timmons makes this secondary significantly better, and Maryland would be a good chance to get him back up to speed.

The second storyline is Devin Sanchez. Sanchez has been a key part of the secondary this year and had eight tackles and three pass breakups against Illinois. But he was flagged for pass interference twice against Illinois and Iowa, giving him four in the last two games.

Day said this week that Sanchez needs more composure at the top of the route. He added that the staff likes the aggressiveness but can’t have penalties like that. A clean game against Maryland would go a long way.

Sanchez’s talent has never been the issue, but Ohio State just can’t keep giving up free yards against better teams down the stretch.

Can Jeremiah Smith keep the Heisman train rolling?

Jeremiah Smith has been the best player in college football this season, and it isn’t particularly close.

Smith has back-to-back 200-yard games. 217 yards and four touchdowns against Illinois, then 11 catches for 206 yards and two touchdowns at Iowa. He leads the country with 44 catches, 823 receiving yards and nine touchdowns, and he now owns Ohio State’s career records for receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.

The question against Maryland is whether he plays long enough to put up another big number. Against Kent State, Smith had 85 yards on five catches, mostly because Ohio State led 35-0 at halftime and didn’t need him after the break.

Something somewhat similar could happen Saturday, but even so, I’d be surprised if he doesn’t clear 100 yards before the starters come out. His Heisman case doesn’t need another 200-yard game, but a few more highlights wouldn’t hurt either.

Will Sayin keep running, and who carries the load?

The most encouraging development for Julian Sayin over the last few weeks has been his willingness to run. He set a career high against Illinois with 29 rushing yards and a touchdown, and his ability to escape the pocket for a first down changed several drives.

Sayin isn’t going to become a dual-threat quarterback, and nobody is asking him to be one. But when a defense drops into coverage and leaves him an easy six or seven yards, he needs to take it. I want to see him keep doing that against Maryland.

It needs to become part of his game, not something he only does when Day or the fans challenge him to.

Then there’s the running back room, which has been one of the more interesting position battles all season.

Ja’Kobi Jackson, the Florida transfer who arrived as more of a depth piece, appears to have taken over the starting job. He has run with a physicality that’s been hard to ignore, and Day said publicly that he ran harder than Bo Jackson against Kent State.

Bo has answered the call since then. The two Jacksons combined for 142 rushing yards at Iowa, and Day said Bo, Ja’Kobi and Isaiah West all ran with their pads down. Right now, Ja’Kobi is the starter, but Bo is giving the staff a reason to keep splitting the carries.

Ja’Kobi should get the start again Saturday, but the carry split is what I’ll be watching. If Bo builds on what he did at Iowa, this could become a true 1-2 punch heading into the toughest part of the schedule. Once the game is in hand, West should get his chance too.

If Legend Bey has the good week of practice Day is looking for, the freshman could get some carries as well.

Ohio State should win this game comfortably. But the final score won’t tell us much. Whether the run defense holds up like it did at Iowa, whether the secondary gets healthy and stays disciplined, and whether the run game keeps building will tell us a lot more about where this team is headed in my opinion.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos