Five games into the 2023 season, the Maryland Terrapins are undefeated for the first time in the program’s modern history, maybe in forever, and this includes conference wins over Michigan State and Indiana. 5-0, are we impressed?
Photo via Barrett Sports Media
“Not so fast, my friend” as ESPN analyst Lee Corso would say. Let’s take a deeper look into the quality of Maryland’s wins.
Quality or Quantity
There’s a valid reason the Terrapins aren’t ranked in the AP or Coaches Poll top 25 (26th in both). Maryland opened the season with thrashings of Towson, Charlotte, and Virginia. These three teams combined have three wins, all against lower division schools – and twelve losses. Next, Maryland opened Big Ten play with a victory over Michigan State, a program in turmoil that just fired its coach.
Photo via Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
Maryland’s best victory of the year was last week at Indiana, a 44-17 victory in which quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa threw for over 350 yards and five touchdowns. Maryland fared better against Indiana than did Ohio State, who looked sluggish in a season-opening 23-3 victory in Bloomington.
Lopsided History
Can we expect a good game on Saturday between Maryland and Ohio State? History suggests otherwise. Ohio State leads the all-time series 8-0, with four games played in Columbus and four in College Park. The teams never played prior to Maryland joining the Big Ten. Maryland has never been on the college football radar, and the schools aren’t geographically close. However, geographic proximity is no longer necessary to join the Big Ten; the conference will have teams from coast to coast beginning in 2024.
Photo via Joel Speyer
Ohio State has scored a lot of points in this series, especially at home. Ohio State “only” scored 49 points in 2015, the first time the teams met in Columbus. Since then, the Buckeyes have tallied more than 60 points in each of the next three home meetings. Maryland never scored more than 17 points in what constitutes three consecutive trouncings. Expect more of the same on Saturday.
Game Clock Changes
Game clock changes were initiated in 2023 to speed up the game. The game clock now continues to run after a first down, except with under two minutes in the half. Previously, the referee would give a signal to start the clock after spotting the ball. This is a significant change. As a result, teams are running a lot fewer offensive plays. The days of scoring 60 points against Maryland may be over.
If Tagovailoa can play like he did last year against Ohio State, when he threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third, Maryland can keep the game close for a while. It may take a few drives for the defense to adjust to Taulia’s mobility, but once those adjustments are made, I expect the Buckeye defense to shut him down. Maryland’s defense can never stop Ohio State. The Buckeyes roll 49-14 in a drama-free game, and we’re one step closer to the matchup with Penn State on October 21st. Happy Homecoming!
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