4 Things To Watch As No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes Plays Maryland
By Joe Russo
Ohio State gets Maryland this Saturday after a dismantling of Nebraska last weekend. Here’s what to watch for as the Buckeyes continue their quest for the College Football Playoff.
After a rout of top-10 Nebraska, a renewed Ohio State offense heads to College Park to take on the Maryland Terrapins. We might not see another 62-point performance, but Ohio State should continue its march toward The Game. What do you need to keep your eyes on during Saturday’s 3:30 kickoff?
1. Perry Hills can play, if he suits up at all
Flash back to 2015 and the box score from the Ohio State – Maryland game might surprise you. Hills ran for 170 yards against the Silver Bullets and no, that is not a typo. He led a Maryland offense that put up 28 points last year and moved the ball effectively throughout the game. But Hills might not even suit up after getting injured against Michigan last week.
If he does play, the playbook against Hills is exactly the same as the one used against Tommy Armstrong. Last season, Hills only went 10 of 27 for 133 yards and 2 interceptions. By limiting Hills on the ground, the secondary can take care of the rest once he puts the ball in the air. Ohio State returned two interceptions for scores against Nebraska quarterbacks last week. Hills has increased his completion percentage by 17 points to 67% and actually has a higher quarterback rating than J.T Barrett this season.
2. Maryland will want to run the ball
While the Terrapins are in the bottom third of the conference in passing, they are third in the Big Ten with 232.7 rushing per game. This is without placing a single rusher in the top ten in rushing yards in the league. Obviously, they take a back by committee approach to some success.
Ty Johnson and Lorenzo Harrison have 635 and 633 yards, respectively, on the season. What’s most telling is that both runners have big play ability. Johnson is averaging just over 9 yards per carry and Harrison is up over 7 yards per carry. They have combined for 9 touchdowns as well, so it’s not as if coach D.J. Durkin leans heavily on one or the other.
3. Maryland’s defense has serious problems
The Terrapins currently sit at 10th in the Big Ten in points allowed (27.2 points per game) and 12th in yards allowed (430.2). For an offense like Ohio State’s, it’s an opportunity to have a repeat performance of the prime time beat down of Nebraska. For Maryland, the Buckeyes are the last team they want to see after giving up 59 points to Michigan last week.
Maryland is particularly bad against the run, where they give up 226 yards per game on the ground. The last few games have been rough. They just gave up 273 yards rushing to Michigan. Before that it was an astounding 414 yards rushing allowed to Indiana (and 650 total yards). There was also 270 yards rushing allowed to Michigan State, 229 to Minnesota, and 372 to Penn State. It’s safe to say that Mike Weber, Curtis Samuel, and J.T. Barrett are ready to go for this one.
4. Will Curtis Samuel be truly unleashed?
It’s a perfect storm to get Curtis Samuel more involved. Mike Weber is nursing a sore shoulder. Dontre Wilson is out as a punt returner with Samuel getting first shot at replacing him. Maryland struggles on defense. Is this the game that see Samuel up over 20 touches?
For Samuel, it’s a matter of staying in the game plan. He still leads the team in receiving by over 300 yards and is just shy 600 yards on the ground. Urban Meyer has found ways to get Samuel involved and by returning kicks, gives him another chance to break loose in space. It’s a natural fit for the more sure handed Samuel anyways, so this was the right choice all along.
But if Samuel serves as the lead back in place of a limited, he’s likely to earn 20 carries, let alone 20 touches. It would be great to see Samuel let loose against a leaky defense, but Ohio State also runs the risk of getting banged around ahead of the stretch run in the Big Ten slate. That would give the Buckeyes two partially injured backs going into Michigan State and Michigan. Instead, Demario McCall will earn more carries if Weber cannot go to not needlessly run Samuel into the ground.
Next: Why The Buckeyes Sit At No. 5 In CFP Playoff Poll
Prediction: Ohio State 42, Maryland 6. Ohio State keeps its foot on the gas against a bad Maryland defense while hemming in a banged up Perry Hills. But the story will be the defense, as they have another big day and keep the Buckeye offense in great field position all day, much like Michigan did last week against Maryland.