For Maryland’s upcoming game against Ohio State, we wanted to get the lowdown on everything you need to know about the Buckeyes. So we found an expert: Nicholas McWilliams of the Lantern.
Urban Meyer’s tenure with Ohio State has been extremely successful. Is there any one thing he does as a coach on or off the field that really stands out to you?
Meyer has an uncanny ability to remain calm, and keep his troops in order. On the sideline he might seem to be a little worked up at times, but players look to him for guidance and to be a leader than can keep everything in line. I think his ability to not panic in crucial moments and keep all his players in check sets him apart.
OSU lost to Penn State and had a close call with Northwestern before turning around and blowing out Nebraska. What exactly happened there?
Most fans thought OSU grew up against Oklahoma, but the team showed all of its youth and inexperience against Penn State. Miscommunications and the occasional mental lapse led to the loss in Happy Valley. As for Northwestern, the Buckeyes had one goal in mind — improve. Although it wasn’t pretty, OSU had a much better game against a sneaky good Northwestern team.
Against Nebraska, the team finally uncorked the long ball after catching a few subtle openings in the Cornhuskers defense. That, paired with a defense that regained its swagger from the beginning of the season, culminated in a dominate performance.
Maryland’s bread and butter on offense is running the ball. Will they have any success doing that against Ohio State?
OSU has been caught napping/over-pursuing the run a few times this season. Saquon Barkley could have run all over them at Penn State if he were given the ball more. Some of the players have said it’s because they like to play aggressive on the defensive side of the ball. Most of the time, it pays off.
Sometimes it ends in a big gain for the opposition. Maryland should have some success running the ball against OSU, but I don’t seen more than around 150 yards being picked up on the ground by the Terrapins.
OSU had Joey Bosa, Ezekiel Elliott and Eli Apple all get taken with the first ten picks in the NFL Draft. Has it been a struggle to find replacements for them?
A majority of the fan base thought this season would be rough considering the loss of talent.
However, OSU and Urban Meyer have found a way to insert players to perform at a very high level. Maybe not as high as the guy who played before them, but well enough to give the Buckeyes a 8-1 record. Sam Hubbard and Tyquan Lewis have been getting to the quarterback well, and Mike Weber has been picking up lots of yards when he touches the ball. Meyer joked at Wednesday’s press conference when asked if he tells Weber to be himself and be less like “Zeke” (Ezekiel Elliott) that he should be more like Elliott.
As for Apple, six interceptions returned for touchdowns on the year should be evidence enough there has been no drop-off in the secondary.
What is something JT Barrett does particularly well as a quarterback?
Barrett is a master of escaping pressure in the pocket and resetting his feet. Although more than capable of throwing on the run, he can really hurt opposing defenses when he can drive into a throw and really get a full motion. He’s a highly intelligent quarterback who rarely makes mistakes.
What would it take for Maryland to beat Ohio State on Saturday?
A big time performance on defense to slow Barrett and Curtis Samuel down is a must for Maryland, but (a lot) of miscues on defense for OSU would be the biggest key. OSU is hard to keep out of the end zone, but playing from behind is something the team is not really used to, so getting out in front fast could be another saving grace for Maryland.
