COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Squaring off against a ranked opponent for the third straight week, Maryland (3-6, 1-5 Big Ten) travels to Columbus, Ohio, Nov. 9 to take a crack at the College Football Playoff Rankings’ top team and the AP’s No. 3 squad, Ohio State (8-0, 5-0), as the Terps hope to end their four-game losing streak and shock the world as 40-plus point underdogs.
“We're at an extremely challenging part of our season, obviously with the game this week against Ohio State, one of the top programs in the country,” Maryland head coach Mike Locksley said. “Their quarterback Justin Fields is a big-time player, J.K. Dobbins their running back, and then the host of talent they have at the receiver position pose a tough challenge for us, one that I know our players and our coaches are excited about this opportunity. Defensively, with players like Chase Young and a bunch of those great players on the back end their secondary, they've got a corner who is an NFL first-round draft pick. It will be a challenge.”
The challenge of facing highly ranked opponents or matching up with a talented Buckeyes team is nothing new to the Terps.
Conference play typically brings its fair share of Top 25 teams Maryland’s way, and the Terps only have to look as far back as last season when they last played an Ohio State team ranked in the top 10 nationally.
The Buckeyes came to College Park as the No. 9 team in the country and 14.5-point favorites last season. But the Terps put on an inspired performance and pushed them to the brink, losing narrowly in overtime, 52-51, in front of their home crowd.
While both Big Ten programs are now operating under new head coaches and not much can be drawn schematically from last year’s meeting, the Terps are able to use last season’s performance as a confidence booster heading into Saturday.
“The good thing is our team and a lot of guys in our locker room were part of the game from last year that I would hope will give us some confidence going into the game that when they play the type of football we're capable of playing and compete with the effort that we compete with that on any given Saturday things like last year — and obviously we didn't finish the win — but I thought that they competed enough to hopefully go into this game playing with some confidence,” Locksley said. “Obviously a lot has changed with both teams from last year but I do think the confidence of knowing that they went and played toe-to-toe with one of the top programs in the country, which Ohio State was last year, is something that I hope to build upon with our guys going in with some confidence.”
It was Tyrrell Pigrome who started at quarterback for the Terps in last year’s narrow defeat. Pigrome played one of his best games in a Maryland uniform — completing 6-of-13 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown — but a missed two-point conversion throw on the final play of the game to seal the Terps’ fate.
Pigrome started three consecutive games for grad-transfer Josh Jackson, but Jackson was back under center for Maryland in last week’s 38-7 loss to Michigan. Maryland’s starter has not yet been announced for Saturday’s game, but Locksley hinted that there’s a good chance we see both Terps signal-callers in Columbus.
“It will be a game-time decision,” Locksley said. “I think we’ll need both of those guys — Josh and Piggy. Both are taking 50 percent of the reps right now. We’ll see which one has the best week and has the most knowledge. But I would imagine it’s going to take both of those guys for us to go up there and get a win.”
In last season’s near upset, Maryland was led by an all-time performance by running back Anthony McFarland, who gashed the Buckeyes for a career-high 298 yards. Despite battling a high ankle sprain throughout the year, McFarland remains a dangerous runner for the Terps, as does the team’s leading rusher Javon Leake.
But Locksley doesn’t need to look at last year’s rushing performance to understand that running the ball effectively will give Maryland its best chance to win on Saturday.
“I think whoever our quarterback is it starts with being able to effectively run the football,” Locksley said. “This is the time of year where you have to run the football to be successful. Our passing game has been really challenged the last couple of weeks, whether it's the timing, whether it's the drop balls, whether it's creating separation. I would venture to say that we're going to have to be able to run the football, which to me I think that's the one area where I've seen some improvement with our young offensive line is our ability to find ways to manufacturer plays in the run game.”
Running the football early and often could also help Maryland neutralize the uncanny pass-rushing talent of Buckeyes defensive end, and DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) grad, Chase Young. Young is leading the FBS with 13.5 sacks so far this season and has had at least a half a sack in each game this year.
He is the type of player Locksley refers to as a “game plan-wrecker” and someone the Terps will have to be mindful of on every offensive snap on Saturday.
“I think the big thing is Chase has become such a complete player,” Locksley said. “When you watch him in his early years he was a guy that was a designated pass rusher, a guy that got after the quarterback and now you see him playing and fitting the run and they do a great job of trying to get him matched up on weaknesses. His size, his speed, his athleticism, and his power are all the things that make him a great player. It'll be a tough opponent for us, and they do a good job of trying to create the matchups. What we've got to do obviously when we game plan and week to week, it's how to take away the guys that can wreck your game plan. You can bet that he'll have our full attention in how we protect and turn the protection and help make sure that we don't allow him to disrupt what we want to do to try to move the football.”
Maryland has a pass rusher of its own that will have a little extra incentive to make some noise on Saturday.
Grad-transfer outside linebacker Keandre Jones spent three full seasons at Ohio State before transferring to Maryland this past offseason. He struggled to find the field consistently while with the Buckeyes but has been the Terps’ best pass rusher this season and currently leads the team with six sacks.
As a leader in Maryland’s locker room, Jones is typically even-keeled, but his first matchup ever against his former team admittedly has him a little more fired up than usual.
“Obviously I’ve had this game marked since I transferred from Ohio State,” Jones said. “Nothing personal, I’m still friends with a lot of those guys, the relationships are still good between us. I’m excited and anxious to get out there on the field.”
Although he said he has never even been inside the visitor’s locker room at The Horseshoe, Jones doesn’t expect that playing in a Maryland uniform in Columbus will be a weird feeling for him. Rather, the Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) grad is looking forward to the experience.
“I competed against these guys in practice while I was there so this game we’re going to go out there and compete, which I’m looking forward to,” Jones said.
The Terps and Buckeyes are set to kick off in Columbus at 12 p.m. EST. The game will be broadcast on the Maryland Sports Radio Network and televised on FOX.
