EDITORIAL BY GRAYDON FOX

Overview:

On Saturday, November 17^th, the (9-1) Ohio State Buckeyes will be on the road to take on the (5-5) Maryland Terrapins.

The Crowd:

The Crowd projects a final score of Ohio State 37.5 – Maryland 21.9 with an over/under of 59.4.

Lou Holtz and Mark May:

Lou is predicting a final score of Ohio State 36 – Maryland 7.

Mark is predicting a final score of Ohio State 36 – Maryland 20.

2018-19 Statistics (130 total teams):

Passing offense: Ohio State 354.9 YPG > Maryland 131.4 YPG

Rushing offense: Ohio State 172.3 YPG > Maryland 234.9 YPG

Scoring offense: Ohio State 40.6 PPG > Maryland 28.8 PPG

Scoring defense: Ohio State 22.0 PPG > Maryland 25.4 PPG

Passing defense: Maryland 181.1 YPG > Ohio State 241.5 YPG

Rushing defense: Ohio State 143.5 YPG > Maryland 161.4 YPG

Turnover Margin Per Game: Ohio State +0.6 = Maryland +0.6

Summary:

Ohio State is (9-1) with wins over Oregon State, Rutgers, #15 TCU, Tulane, #9 Penn State, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, and #18 Michigan State. Their lone defeat was an ugly 49-20 road loss to Purdue in week eight.  Ohio State’s defense finally rose to the occasion in their 26-6 road victory over #18 Michigan State last week.  The Buckeyes rank 11^th in points per game (40.6) and 32^nd in scoring defense (22.0 PPG).  Quarterback Dwyane Haskins has completed 68% of his passes for 3,280 yards with 33 touchdowns to 8 interceptions.  Ohio State has a pair of 700 yard rushers in J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber Jr.. Haskins has a plethora of offensive weapons but K.J. Hill (733 yards, 4 touchdowns) and Parris Campbell (673 yards, 9 touchdowns) have been the biggest playmakers.  The Buckeyes’ defense ranks 81^st against the pass (241.5 YPG) and 45^th against the run (143.5 YPG).

Maryland is (5-5) with victories over #23 Texas, Bowling Green, Minnesota, Rutgers, and Illinois.  They were defeated by Temple, #15 Michigan, #19 Iowa, Michigan State, and Indiana.  Maryland suffered a heartbreaking 34-32 defeat to Indiana last week. The Terrapins rank 70^th in points per game (28.8) and 55^th in scoring defense (25.4 PPG).  Quarterback Kasim Hill has completed 49% of his passes for 1,083 yards with 9 touchdowns to 4 interceptions.  Maryland has two running backs that have rushed for over 500 yards in Anthony McFarland and Ty Johnson.  The Terrapins’ defense ranks 18^th against the pass (181.1 YPG) and 64^th against the run (161.4 YPG).

Bottom Line:

Ohio State’s offense hasn’t performed to their capability averaging only 28 points per game over their last four.  The Buckeyes incorporated the electric Tate Martell into their offense last week which really opened up their running game.  Offensively, Maryland doesn’t have the quarterback to exploit Ohio State’s deficiencies in the secondary.  I believe the Buckeyes break out of their offensive slump and win big on the road.

Ohio State wins 38-14

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