Wide receiver DJ Moore didn’t want to discuss the circumstances of Maryland football’s 2015 visit to Columbus to face then-No. 1 Ohio State.
Leading up to the game, there were widespread reports Maryland would fire coach Randy Edsall. But with Edsall still at the helm, the squad kept the score close until midway through the third quarter.
Two fourth-quarter interceptions doomed the Terps to a 49-28 loss. They dismissed Edsall the next day.
When asked about the locker room atmosphere of that game, Moore offered a knowing smile, but little else.
“I don’t want to answer that question,” Moore said.
Running back Ty Johnson went further, remembering there was “a lot of stuff going on that week.” Before the game, Johnson said an Ohio State fan got into his head.
“Oh, you’re trying to help out your coach today, huh?” the fan asked.
The remark, which Johnson deemed condescending, added motivation. He said the Buckeyes didn’t expect the Terps to keep the game as close as they did.
When Maryland (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) returns to Columbus on Saturday, Johnson hopes Maryland can provide another surprise, a difficult task considering the No. 10 Buckeyes (4-1, 2-0) enter as 31-point favorites.
In particular, Ohio State’s defense could cause problems, as the unit has held its past three opponents to less than 300 yards of total offense.
“They have a lot of guys that swarm to the ball,” Johnson said, “and they have a lot of guys who play hard in general.”
Since coach DJ Durkin took over the program, Maryland is 9-8 and has secured its best-ever recruiting class. The Terps say the program’s culture has improved, and they demonstrated their newfound fortitude by beating Minnesota in their Big Ten opener after losing quarterbacks Tyrrell Pigrome and Kasim Hill to ACL tears earlier in the campaign.
While much has changed at Maryland over the past two years, things are mostly the same at Ohio State, which is 21-4 since facing the Terps in Columbus in 2015. The Buckeyes have lost only two home games over that span.
Last year, Ohio State beat Maryland, 62-3, in College Park.
Third-string quarterback Max Bortenschlager will face a vaunted pass defense that hasn’t allowed 100 passing yards since Sept. 9 against Oklahoma. Maryland will play its third straight game without top pass rusher Jesse Aniebonam, who fractured his ankle in the season opener.
But the Terps aren’t looking for a moral victory, even as the combination of injuries and a top 10 opponent seemingly make the result a forgone conclusion. They’ve won two road games as double-digit underdogs, defeating then-No. 23 Texas and the Gophers.
“Trust me, I’ll be plenty upset if we lose by one, regardless of how ever many we lost to last year,” offensive coordinator Walt Bell said. “We’re going up there to do one thing, and that’s play our best and go win a football game.”
