Maryland dominated by No. 1 Ohio state 73-14, eliminated from bowl contention

It seemed on Saturday that someone replayed Maryland’s 59-0 loss to Penn State game from earlier this season.

Maryland came into the game against Ohio State as 43.5 point underdogs, but last season’s 52-51 overtime loss inspired some hope for the Terps.

“We showed up and we played with the right kind of effort and the right kind of habits and behaviors, and gave themselves a chance to win the game there in the end,” head coach Mike Locksley said when talking about last year’s contest in the team’s presser last Tuesday. 

That was far from the case on Saturday. 

Ohio State obliterated Maryland 73-14, The Terps’ fifth straight loss.

Now 3-7 on the season and officially eliminated from contention, the Terps will go a third straight season without appearing in a bowl game. 

While no one favored the Terps even though Chase Young was expected to miss the contest,  there were some who wondered how the Buckeyes defense would handle this type of unexpected adversity.

Ohio State announced on Friday that the Heisman candidate would miss the game against Maryland. Young is facing an indefinite suspension for accepting a loan from a family friend last year.

Even with Young’s absence, the Buckeyes’ defense still shut-down Maryland’s offense all afternoon.

On the second play from scrimmage, quarterback Josh Jackson was engulfed by Ohio State defensive tackle Davon Hamilton for a five-yard sack. The Terps’ offensive line struggled to protect Jackson and fellow quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome, allowing seven sacks and countless pressures.

After Maryland went three-and-out on its first drive, the Buckeyes wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields led his offense down the field and capped off their 47-yard scoring drive with a 12-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Binjimen Victor a little under four minutes into the game.

Another Terps’ three-and-out put the Buckeyes in deeper field position to start their next drive on their own 29-yard line, but it did not matter as they again drove the ball right down the throat of Maryland’s defense. Fields rushed for a four-yard touchdown to go up 14-0 with a little over five minutes left in the first quarter.

This marked the fifth straight game the Terps have allowed touchdowns on their opponents’ opening two drives.

A 14-0 lead was not enough for Ohio State as it recovered an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff to regain possession of the ball. An already outmatched Terps’ defense had no answer for the Buckeyes as they went down the field for their third consecutive touchdown drive. Fields hit wide receiver K.J. Hill for a four-yard touchdown.

Pigrome checked into the game with a little over 10 minutes left in the second quarter, but he could not provide the spark that Maryland needed. He too had little time to throw or find an offensive rhythm. 

Maryland was held to 139 yards of total offense while committing two turnovers.

Maryland’s defense had another tough outing, allowing over 700 yards of offense. Fields consistently had more than enough time to throw as the Terps generated zero pass rush all afternoon. Buckeye receivers were able to find holes in the zone of Maryland’s defense while missed tackles allowed them to gain even more yards after the reception.

One positive moment on defense occurred during the third quarter when senior linebacker Keandre Jones registered one of the Terps’ two sacks, forcing a fumble in the process. Jones spent his first three seasons at Ohio State before transferring to Maryland for his final season.

Up 42-0 at halftime, the Buckeyes pulled Fields from the game to begin the third quarter and went on cruise control for the rest of the afternoon. Another potential Heisman candidate, Fields finished the afternoon throwing for 200 yards and totaling four touchdowns.

The Terps were able to get on the scoreboard towards the end of the third quarter after Jackson found wide receiver Dontay Demus Jr. for a 26-yard touchdown. Jackson finished the afternoon throwing for 35 yards and a touchdown.

Maryland will host Nebraska on Nov. 23 at Capital One Field at a time to be determined.