Maryland football seeks a signature win when it visits Ohio State
Shortly after a lopsided victory last weekend, Maryland football coach Michael Locksley spoke glowingly about his players’ preparation, not only in their mastery of the tactical blueprint but also with regard to keeping the following week’s opponent out of the conversation — and avoiding distraction — despite the magnitude of facing No. 4 Ohio State.
The Terrapins instead devoted all of their attention to Indiana, a potential trap scenario that never unfolded when the outcome, thanks to crisp execution in the first quarter, became all but certain by halftime on the way to a 44-17 win that kept Maryland undefeated heading into one of its most meaningful games in years.
“Not one person [last week] said a word about who we’re playing this week,” Locksley said. “Ohio State didn’t come up one time, and to me that shows the maturity, I think, of this team. This was a great opportunity to create some momentum and have confidence going into a tough place to play against a really talented team, but you know what? I think this team is just young and dumb enough to show up and play like they’re capable of playing, and we’ll see what happens.”
A victory for Maryland (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) in Columbus would be program-defining on several fronts, starting with validation of Locksley’s declaration in August that the Terrapins are primed to contend for the Big Ten championship by competing with traditional powers such as Ohio State (4-0, 1-0), which has 39 conference titles, including 11 since 2002.
The Terrapins have never beaten Ohio State, with an average losing margin of more than 34 points over eight games since joining the Big Ten in 2014. Their average losing margin at Ohio Stadium is close to 44 points, including their most recent defeats by scores of 66-17 in 2021 and 73-14 in 2019. Maryland lost last year’s matchup in College Park, 43-30.
A win also would secure bowl eligibility for Maryland and extend its best start since 2001, when the Terrapins, then a member of the ACC, opened 7-0 on the way to a 10-2 record and a berth in the Orange Bowl. Locksley was an assistant on that staff, serving as running backs coach and recruiting coordinator under Ralph Friedgen.
The Terrapins and Ohio State clash for the first time with both sides unbeaten, although Maryland remains roughly a 20-point underdog.
“I think this team gets it,” Locksley said. “They’ve been through a lot. These relationships and the bonds have been forged over time and through adversity as well as some good times, and I think they enjoy being around each other. I love coaching this group because any challenge you put in front of them, they meet it headfirst, they don’t complain ... and they don’t make excuses, and to me that’s what it’s all about.”
Only a handful of Maryland players were born when the Terrapins last managed such a rousing beginning to the season, with the most prominent being quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa. The redshirt senior was named Big Ten offensive player of the week after accounting for a career-best six touchdowns against the Hoosiers.
The Terrapins’ career leader in total offense (9,599), passing yards (9,343), passing touchdowns (64) and completion percentage (67.1) has played as well as almost anyone at the position recently against Ohio State, which this year ranks second nationally in scoring defense (8.5 points allowed per game) and sixth in total defense (255.5 yards allowed per game).
Last season, Tagovailoa completed 26 of 36 passes for 293 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another, helping Maryland pull within 33-30 early in the fourth quarter before the Buckeyes finished with 10 unanswered points capped by an eight-yard fumble return for a touchdown with nine seconds to play.
“I have a lot of confidence in our team,” Tagovailoa said. “I just feel like with the things we’ve done, we feel like we’re up there with everybody else. We believe that we can be Big Ten champions. Obviously, we’ve got a long way to go, but we believe we can compete with anyone that’s on our schedule, anyone that’s on the field, and every week, every day, we’ve got to prove that.”
Maryland has posted at least 31 points in each of its first five games for the first time, but the climb to this point has been about far more than simply a well-oiled offense that’s first among Big Ten teams in total yards (454.8 per game) as well as second in passing yards (297.4 per game) and scoring (38.6 points per game).
The defense also has been robust dating from the final two games last season. In that span, the Terrapins have surrendered seven touchdowns overall and nine points per game. They’re the only Football Bowl Subdivision team to have limited opponents to no more than 20 points in each of its past seven games.
Maryland’s defensive uprising includes creating turnovers at a brisk pace lately, with 10 in the past three games. The Terrapins are second nationally in turnover margin (plus-nine) and tied for third in the country and first among Big Ten teams in takeaways (12). In the past two games, they’ve also forced three turnovers on downs.
The most daunting assignment for defensive coordinator Brian Williams and his staff is devising a plan to limit the Buckeyes’ Marvin Harrison Jr., whom Locksley called the most explosive wide receiver Maryland will face this year. Harrison hurt his ankle in Ohio State’s win against Notre Dame two weeks ago but is slated to be a full participant in practice this week, Buckeyes Coach Ryan Day said. Ohio State is coming off an open date.
“Over the years, it’s always been like, ‘Oh, we’ve got Ohio State coming up,’ or, ‘We’ve got the big three, they say, [with] Michigan, Penn State,’ ” Terrapins safety Dante Trader Jr. said. “There’s no anxiety or anything like that [this time]. We’re not going to change anything because we’re playing the blue bloods of college football, but obviously knowing the big challenge we’ve got ahead of us, people have got to be locked in.”
