2022 Terps Football: The Focus This Week Vs. Ohio State

The Terps are sputtering, to say the least. After starting the season 6-2 through the first eight games, Maryland has lost two in a row to Wisconsin and Penn State by a combined score of 53-10. Now the Terps must prepare to host perhaps the conference’s best team — The Ohio State University.

Not only do the Buckeyes have what appears to be the Big Ten’s most formidable squad, but they also have who many consider to be the conference’s best player, quarterback C.J. Stroud. The junior gunslinger is the current betting favorite to win the Heisman and he is coming off of a 297-yard, 5-touchdown performance in a 56-14 win over Indiana.

Needless to say, this is going to be an uphill battle for the Terps. But the likely word of the week in the Maryland locker room is “opportunity.” Head coach Mike Locksley is probably preaching the fact that there’s no better matchup to potentially wash away the bitter taste of the last two losses. For as big of an underdog as Maryland is here, the Terps will recall that they almost upset Ohio State in College Park a few years ago, and they know that a win this week would be the highlight of the season.

Talent-wise it’s going to be tough. But if  heavy favorite takes an opponent lightly on the road, crazier things have happened. Here’s who we’re keeping an eye on in this matchup…

Maryland Players to watch for…

Billy Edwards Jr: Taulia Tagovailoa is expected to start this game at quarterback for the Terps, but, if we’re being honest, he has not looked the same after missing the Northwestern game with a knee injury. He really struggled against Penn State and that opened the door for Edwards to finish the game. Edwards has performed admirably when filling in so far this year and even won that game against Northwestern that Tagovailoa missed. If this weekend’s game starts to get out of hand in favor of the visiting team, do the Terps go to Edwards sooner? Is it worth seeing what they have for the future at that point? Time will tell.

Jaelyn Duncan: Duncan, along with his teammates Jakorian Bennett and Chad Ryland, recently got invited to the Reese’s Senior Bowl at the end of this season. He is the anchor of the Maryland offensive line and his game has grown leaps and bounds each year he’s been in College Park. But he’ll have a tall task against a Buckeyes team that is loaded with pass rushers. Ohio State has 26 sacks so far this year, which is 34th in the nation and 5th in the Big Ten. Duncan and his blocking buddies are going to have to bring their A game on Saturday.

Ami Finau: Finau is one of Maryland’s best run stoppers in the middle of the defense, and the Terps are going to need him on Saturday against a Buckeyes backfield that is no joke. Teams that can run the ball have gashed Maryland at times this year. Michigan, Wisconsin, and Penn State all had monster days on the ground against the Terps. Ohio State loves to run the ball and can do so with multiple backs. In their win over Indiana, the Buckeyes used 43 carries to rack up 340 yards and 3 touchdowns. Like Duncan and his line, Finau & Co. are going to have to really bring it this week.

Ohio State Players to Watch for…

Marvin Harrison Jr: Name sound familiar? It should because this dude’s dad is in the NFL Hall of Fame. Harrison is the Buckeyes’ leading receiver with 60 receptions for 969 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was expected to play second fiddle to Jaxon Smith-Njigba this season, but plans have changed as Smith-Njigba has been battling injury all season. Harrison has used the opportunity to have a huge breakout season. In his last outing, the sophomore compiled 7 receptions for 135 yards and a touchdown. Tarheed Still and Jakorian Bennett need to be ready for this.

Miyan Williams: Another injury to an Ohio State star opened the door for yet another stud. TreVeyon Henderson is one of the most talented runners in the country and has looked as such when he has suited up for the Buckeyes. But an injury riddled season has kept him off the field at times and Williams has been reaping the benefits. He’s Ohio State’s leading rusher with 783 yards and 13 touchdowns. He had 147 yards and a touchdown on just 15 carries against Indiana.

Zach Harrison: There are three or four pass rushers on the Ohio State roster that demand attention, but Harrison might have the most raw talent of the bunch despite not having the most eye-popping stats. The former 5-star recruit hasn’t had a real breakout season in Columbus yet, but he is a disruptor on the field and always needs to be accounted for in the blocking scheme. He currently has 1 sack this year and 1 interception. At 6-foot-6, he’s adept at knocking passes down at the line of scrimmage or deflecting them into the air so they can get picked.

Coaching Expectations…

Right now, the best win on Maryland’s resume this season is against a Michigan State team that is just 5-5. After getting blown out by basically every other blue blood in the conference, this is the Terps’ last chance this year to show they’ve closed the gap a bit.

No one is really expecting the Terps to win this game. I’m sure they’re coming into it as confident as they can, but it’s going to be a tough win to find. However, punching the Buckeyes in the mouth a few times and keeping the game close could spur some momentum heading into the home stretch of the season.

Maryland is already bowl eligible and will have something to play for in the postseason regardless of how this game or next week against Rutgers goes. But a win against the Buckeyes would position the Terps for a better bowl berth and give them a ton of confidence heading into that game. Even a good performance against the Buckeyes that leads to a loss could be enough to make Rutgers as easy win and send the Terps into the postseason with some momentum.

So from a coaching standpoint, it’s about framing this game as the biggest game of the regular season. It’s a pseudo bowl game for the Terps. A win (or good performance) here could do more for the Maryland program than any bowl game they’ll be eligible for would anway.

Use that as motivation and try your best to eliminate mistakes that make Ohio State’s day easier. Avoiding mistakes (penalties and turnovers) has been an issue for the Terps, but if there was ever a time to put it all together — albeit 3 months into the season — Saturday would be it.