Ohio State Buckeyes vs Maryland Terrapins

The No. 9 Ohio State Buckeyes look to keep their playoff hopes alive as they make their way to Maryland Stadium to collide with the Maryland Terrapins. Two teams are trending in opposite directions in this game as Ohio State has won two straight while Maryland has dropped its last two. The Buckeyes have won four straight vs the Terrapins and are 17-point favorites in this week’s game with the total Sportsbook at 58 points.

Ohio State vs Maryland Game Center

Are the Buckeyes back on track?

Ohio State had its sights set on its fourth College Football Playoff berth, but a Week 8 loss at Purdue 49-20 – its only loss on the season – may have dashed those aspirations. The Buckeyes followed up with a narrow 36-31 win over Nebraska, not the performance they were hoping for, but they are coming off an impressive win over then-No. 18 Michigan State 26-6. Sophomore QB Dwayne Haskins threw for his fewest yards this season in that game, tossing 227 yards with one touchdown in a low-scoring affair.

A positive point out of the last two games for Ohio State is that its run game is showing signs of life again. After not having a player rush for over 100 yards from weeks 4 to 8, J.K. Dobbins rushed for 163 yards vs Nebraska and Mike Weber tallied 104 vs Michigan State. Look for the Buckeyes to continue the ground game against Maryland, which is allowing 161.4 rushing yards per game. However, their main attack is through Haskins as they average 354.9 yards per game through the air, which is the third-most in the nation.

Maryland struggling to Put points on the board

The Terrapins opened the season with some noise, earning a 34-29 triumph over then-No. 23 Texas, and followed that up with a 45-14 victory over Bowling Green. However, since then they have been on a win-one, lose-one streak and have dropped their last two in a row. Two of those losses over that span came against then-No. 19 Iowa and then-No. 15 Michigan. Maryland’s offense has been really hit-or-miss this year, having six games in which it has scored 30 or more points, but also three games in which it has scored 14 or fewer points – it averages 28.8 ppg overall.

The Terrapins rely on their strong run game led by freshman running back Anthony McFarland. The Maryland native has run for 724 yards and two touchdowns on 104 carries and is coming off a game in which he rushed for 210 yards on 29 carries against Indiana. Maryland has a strong passing defense, allowing 181.8 passing yards per game, which is 18th-best in the nation, while adding an NCAA-leading 17 interceptions, but will be in tough against Heisman Trophy hopeful Dwayne Haskins.

Should you be on the OVER?

There are trends supporting an OVER this week and Sportsbook has the total Sportsbook at 58. This is the fifth straight year that Maryland and Ohio State have collided and the past four games – none of which had a total of 60 or more – have gone OVER with an average combined score of 73.5 and no combined score below 65. Additionally, two of Maryland’s three games against ranked opponents have gone OVER and Ohio State has gone OVER in seven of its last 10 road games. Lastly, this may be a bit of a tune-up game for the Buckeyes with “The Game” looming next weekend against Michigan with major playoff implications on the line. Depending on the total, the OVER may be a good bet.

My Take on Ohio State vs Maryland

I like the OVER 58 points between these two Big Ten rivals. Over the last four meetings between Ohio State and Maryland, they haven’t had a game with a combined score of less than 65 and have had an average combined score of 73.5. Meanwhile, the Buckeyes are scoring the 11th-most points per game in the nation this season at 40.6, and have the third-most passing yards per game at 354.9. Maryland relies on its run game this year, averaging 234.9 rushing yards per game, while Ohio State ranks 45th in the league for rushing yards allowed at 143.5. Lastly, the run game has been coming alive for Ohio State and three of the four games in which the Buckeyes have rushed for more than 100 yards have gone OVER with an average combined score of 68.75.