The Ohio State Football team get’s back on the field this weekend following a bye week, as it’s set to face off against visiting Maryland.
The Terrapins are just on the outside of the top 25 rankings, in both of them leading the votes of the unranked. Led by a veteran quarterback, taulia tagovailoa, Maryland boasts an offense that hasn’t scored under 30 points all season.
Buy Buckeyes TicketsDefensively, the Terrapins have been fairly solid as well, as they’ve held all their opponents to 20 points or lower. There are plenty of questions the Buckeyes will have to answer and here are the five most important ones for them to come out victorious on Saturday afternoon.
Can the Buckeyes stop the Maryland air attack?
Question
Tagovailoa averages nearly 300 yards through the air a game, and the difficult part is that it’s not just one receiver he’s going to, it’s six main targets. Each of them have at least 10 catches, four receivers, a tight end and a back. Not only will the Buckeye secondary be tested, but the linebackers will also have to be on their game in coverage.
Can the pressure force mistakes for the Maryland offense?
Question
This goes hand in hand with the first question; can the Buckeyes produce enough pressure to force Tagovailoa into mistakes? The defensive line has been phenomenal at generating pressure, even without big sack numbers. Ohio State has to force Maryland into situations it doesn’t want to be in, long 2nd and 3rd down situations so the Buckeyes can pin their ears back and force mistakes.
Can Kyle McCord continue his growth following the bye?
Question
Kyle McCord played well against Notre Dame, but it wasn’t for the whole game. Really he turned it on during the final drive, but we need to see that for a complete game against a quality opponent. The Maryland defense is solid, not spectacular, so there will be opportunities for the Buckeyes to make plays. McCord needs to continue progressing in the right direction as his confidence should be fairly high after orchestrating a game-winning drive in his last series.
How healthy is Marvin Harrison Jr.?
We all saw what happened to the Buckeye star receiver against the Irish, he wasn’t nearly as effective when he returned from his ankle injury, but made a huge catch during the final drive. During the week, Harrison Jr. said that it was worse than last year’s, and he had an All-American season dealing with it. Hopefully, that was an exaggeration, and he returns to his game-breaking self.
Can the Ohio against The World mentality continue?
This can’t just be a one week motivator, it has to be perpetual. Lou Holtz isn’t going to trash the Buckeyes every week, or will he? Ohio State needs to keep the chip on their shoulder going, they can’t let up. This program is used to getting its opponents best every week, but sometimes there needs to be more motivation. It’s there, the question is if the Buckeyes will roll with it.
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