By Ethan Cadeaux (@Ethan_301)
After Maryland’s second unspectacular performance in a row, an ugly home loss to open up Big Ten play against Michigan, the Terps have no time to dwell; they head to Columbus, Ohio to face the number one team in the country in Ohio State on Saturday.
The Buckeyes are winners of eighteen straight games, and have not lost in over a calendar year. In Big Ten Conference play, the Buckeyes have won their past 25 games, a Big Ten record.
“You get an opportunity to go out there and play, it is a tremendous challenge but also a great opportunity as well,” said Terps head coach Randy Edsall on facing the number one team in the country.
Although the Buckeyes have not lost since September of 2014, they certainly have not looked as dominant this season as they did on their quest to a National Championship a year ago. Last week, the Buckeyes barely squeaked out a victory over an Indiana team that was 1-7 in Big Ten play last season.
Yet, the Terps still face their toughest challenge to date when they travel to the hostile environment of Ohio Stadium on Saturday, a place where they have never played before.
The Terps still have plenty of questions on both sides of the ball, neither of which we resolved in the 28-0 home loss to Michigan this past Saturday. The revolving door of Quarterbacks continued on Saturday for the Terps, with both redshirt junior Caleb Rowe and senior Daxx Garman seeing action.
Both Rowe and Garman struggled mightily versus the Wolverines. Rowe went 8-for-27, throwing for just 47 yards and three interceptions before Garman replaced him in the third quarter. Garman did not do any better, going just 2-of-9 for 29 yards.
Edsall has yet to make a decision that will start versus Ohio State Saturday. “We want to find a guy who will give us the best opportunity to win the ballgame,” said Edsall. “That is what we are going to do through practice this week, and then we will make a decision game time on Saturday.”
The Quarterback play was not the only reason the Terps failed to score throughout the game Saturday. The Michigan defense was dominant, and held the Terps rushing attack to just 29 yards. Through the first four weeks of the season, the Terps were averaging 196 rushing yards per game.
“You have to be able to run the football, there is no doubt about that,” said Edsall. “We want to be able to keep our defense off the field a little bit. You can run [the ball], but you have to complete [passes] in order for the clock to continue to run. You don’t want your defense out there [for a long time] when playing a team with the skill power Ohio State has.”
Last week, the Terps defense played stout in the first half, allowing just six points. But following the break, the Wolverines were able to rush for 198 yards, even without star running back De’Veon Smith.
“When we go out, play hard, and have eleven guys running to the football, we can be good,” said Edsall, speaking of the strong defensive effort in the first half. Now, the Terps need to put a defensive effort like that together for a full four quarters.
The Terps rush defense must improve for Ohio State’s rushing attack, led by Heisman Trophy contender Ezekiel Elliott, who is averaging 7.3 yards per carry and 145.8 yards per game. The Buckeyes also have several other playmakers that the Terps must account for, including two-time Big Ten Player of the Year Braxton Miller and breakout wide receiver Michael Thomas.
Similar to Maryland, Ohio State has also used multiple quarterbacks this season. Cardale Jones, who started the last three games of the Buckeyes championship season, seems to be the starter, but Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer has not shied away from giving J.T. Barrett action. Barrett had a stellar season last year, finishing fifth in Heisman Trophy voting, before it was abruptly ended by a right ankle fracture.
“Urban did not call me and tell me they might [make a quarterback switch],” joked Edsall. “Their offense is pretty similar with what they do with both guys. They do enough of the things they do that our guys have to go out there and execute what we call. If we do that, we will be fine.”
Although the Buckeyes quarterback play has been fairly inconsistent and unpredictable this season, the Terps must be prepared to stop both Jones and Barrett, or this week could be a repeat of the past two weeks for Maryland.
“Stay in the moment, one play at a time,” said Edsall. “You have to stay positive and in the right state of mind. It is like that old saying, ‘just keep sewing wood.’ Stay positive, stay upbeat, keep competing every play, and sooner or later we will get it straightened out.”
