Maryland (2-1, 5-1) at #4 Ohio State (2-0, 5-0) Post Game

[medinabuckeye1]

Can Maryland sustain September success into October.

Some people may see us joking about "September Maryland" and assume that the difference is simply the level of Maryland's opposition improving after September. That is part of it, but there is more:

2023:
Maryland went 5-0 in their September games and looked good doing it. The 5-0 included three blowouts of P5 teams.

2022:
The Terps started out 4-1 and the lone loss was to a top-5 team on the road, by one score. They looked great! They went 3-4 after that to finish the regular season 7-5.

2021:
Maryland started 4-0 including wins over a pretty good WVU team and a league road win. They went 2-6 after that.

2020:
COVID

2019:
The Terps started 3-2 including a blowout win over a ranked team and a close road loss. After that they lost seven straight.

2018:
Maryland started 3-1 including a win over Texas. After that they went 2-6.

2017:
The Terps started 3-1 including a nice win over Texas then went 1-7 after that.

2016:
Maryland started 4-0 including a blowout win in a league game. After that they went 2-6.

[TyphonInc]

I've felt for a long time now that Maryland's 1st team can hang with the Big 3 in the East. But they don't have the depth to sustain high level after injury bug settles in. It's been a two fold problem for Maryland after hot September starts, the competition s better and their team isn't as healthy. This years Maryland hasn't been hampered with too many injuries (in fact I think they are getting their RB back.)  
I expect to see a very competitive game against OSU, but several Maryland players will get banged up and their season then falls off the rails against other quality opponents. 

[Mdot21]

Can Maryland sustain September success into October.

no 

Ohio State by a lot.

[CatsbyAZ]

2023:
Maryland went 5-0 in their September games and looked good doing it. The 5-0 included three blowouts of P5 teams.

2022:
The Terps started out 4-1 and the lone loss was to a top-5 team on the road, by one score. They looked great! They went 3-4 after that to finish the regular season 7-5.

2021:
Maryland started 4-0 including wins over a pretty good WVU team and a league road win. They went 2-6 after that.

I know most of the commentary around Mike Locksley is of his incompetent moments and on-field collapses, but are we underrating whether he’s stabilized into an effective head coach? We talk all the time about player development but what about coaching development? Kiffin and Sarkisian are examples of coaches self-developing while on the job.

After a few chaotic years at New Mexico and starting at Maryland, Locksley is tracking for 3 straight winning seasons at Maryland. He has a knack for targeting and signing talented QBs from the transfer portal – Josh Jackson, Taulia Tagovailoa, and is beating the teams Maryland should.

On the other hand, one definition I’ve heard of good coaching is that the team gets better as the season goes on. Consistently finishing seasons 2-6 isn’t getting better as the season goes on.

[Mdot21]

wait, do people actually think this is going to be close? 

Ohio State is going to run for like 250+ yards and score at will on a Maryland team that can't play defense at all.

[Honestbuckeye]

All I know is, this is the fifth straight team that Ohio State has played this year that’s undefeated.

Yeah, I get that/The first couple teams are almost always going to be undefeated but it has not happened since 1940. 

[Brutus Buckeye]

[medinabuckeye1]

I think the calendar flipped from "Maryland September" to "Maryland October" at halftime.

[ELA]

"I would never let MSU pull this crap"

[Mdot21]

"I would never let MSU pull this crap"

“Man if Ohio State can’t beat Maryland I sure as hell can’t beat Maryland at Michigan State. Hard pass.”

probably more accurate in his line of thinking. Urbs a front runner helmet chaser. He’s gonna wait til Lincoln Riley goes to the NFL or Sark or Jimbo inevitably gets fired and wind up at USC, Texas, or A&M.

[Hawkinole]

In the 1st half I thought Brian Ferentz located new employment in Columbus. It just seems the top 3 teams, are well, the top 3 teams and though they stumble out of the gates, nature takes its course due to superior talent level

[medinabuckeye1]

I think the calendar flipped from "Maryland September" to "Maryland October" at halftime.

I was thinking about this after I posted it and really, I think the important thing for Maryland isn't the loss in this game, it is how they respond. 

IMHO, 9-3 is very much achievable for the Terps. They are possibly the 4th best team in the league. Maybe not, but it really doesn't matter because they don't play any of the contenders for that. 

They still have PSU and Michigan but both of those are at home and Michigan plays them right between PSU and tOSU so an upset in one of those is possible. 

Even if the Terps do go 0-3 against the Big 3, their other remaining opponents are Illinois, Northwestern, Nebraska, and Rutgers. They really should go 9-3.

What will suck for Maryland is if they crater and we end up looking back saying that this was a 5-0 team tied at halftime on the road with a top-5 opponent. 

[TyphonInc]

wait, do people actually think this is going to be close?

Ohio State is going to run for like 250+ yards and score at will on a Maryland team that can't play defense at all.

This didn't age well.

[Mdot21]

This didn't age well.

Hey I didn’t know Henderson would be ruled out last minute and the OSU OL would play like women for the first half of the game.