Pinned
Link copied
The Ohio State Buckeyes are 5-0 against the Maryland Terrapins since October of 2015, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Saturday. OSU and Maryland will face off in a Big Ten battle at noon ET at Ohio Stadium. The Buckeyes know how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past three matchups -- so hopefully Maryland likes a good challenge.
Last week, OSU's offense rose to the challenge against an RU defense that boasted an average of only 13.5 points allowed. They put a hurting on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on the road to the tune of 52-13. The team ran away with 45 points in the first half and mostly just sat on those in the second to pick up the victory. OSU's QB C.J. Stroud was on fire, passing for five TDs and 330 yards on 23 attempts. Near the top of the highlight reel was Stroud's 56-yard TD bomb to WR Chris Olave in the second quarter.
Meanwhile, the Terrapins might not have won anyway, but with 83 yards lost due to penalties, they really shot themselves in the foot last Friday. It's hard to picture a worse defeat than the 51-14 bruising that they suffered against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Maryland was in a tough position by the half, with the score already sitting at 34-7. QB Taulia Tagovailoa had a memorable game, but not in the way you want to be remembered: despite two touchdowns, he threw five interceptions with only 157 yards passing.
The Buckeyes are the favorite in this one, with an expected 21-point margin of victory. They might be worth taking a chance on against the spread as they are currently on a two-game streak of ATS wins.
OSU's win brought them up to 4-1 while Maryland's loss pulled them down to an identical 4-1. Two stats to keep an eye on: OSU is stumbling into the contest with the 164th most thrown interceptions in the nation, having thrown four on the season. Maryland has experienced some struggles of their own as they are 233rd worst in the nation in thrown interceptions, having thrown seven on the season. It's possible one of these Achilles' heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.
