Maryland and Ohio State. The Terps are 2-0 with a true road win, while the Buckeyes are 1-1 and have already lost in their home stadium with 109,088 fans in attendance to witness the defeat.
So far this season, the statistics suggest Maryland has outperformed the Buckeyes not just by its record, but in plenty of other stats important to winning. How about we examine some of those numbers?
Points per game
Maryland: 57.0
Ohio State: 32.5
Maryland is fourth in the country in points per game this season thanks to their 51-point performance against Texas and their 63-point shredding of Towson. Meanwhile, Ohio State sits at a much more pedestrian 32.5 points per game. You know who else has 32.5 points per game? Kansas. That is right: Ohio State’s offense is as pedestrian as the Kansas Jayhawks’.
Rushing yards per game
Maryland: 315.0
Ohio State: 229.5
Thanks to Ty Johnson’s remarkable big play ability, Maryland is averaging over 300 rushing yards in its first two games and they rank 9th in the country. Meanwhile, the Buckeyes sit at a more pedestrian 32nd in the nation. I bet they wish they had Ty Johnson.
Rushing touchdowns
Maryland: 10
Ohio State: 4
In case the last stat did not convince you Maryland has been running the ball really well, perhaps this one will do the trick. Maryland has more than twice as many touchdowns on the ground than Ohio State.
Completion percentage
Maryland: 78.8
Ohio State: 55.7
Whether it be Tyrrell Pigrome, Kasim Hill or Max Bortenschlager, when a Maryland QB dropped back to pass the past two games, there was a pretty slim chance the play would end with the ball hitting the ground. Meanwhile, Ohio State’s JT Barrett has had a rough go of things to start his season, completing just a little bit more than half of his passes to start his senior year.
Points scored in the 2017 College Football Playoff
Maryland: 0
Ohio State: 0
Okay this one is actually a tie, but it is worth noting Maryland matched Ohio State’s point total despite not actually playing in the College Football Playoff last season.
