Preview: #5 Ohio State (8-1, 5-1) vs Maryland (5-4, 2-4)

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This weekend will mark just the second time, to where Coach Urban Meyer and Coach D.J. Durkin face off against each other on opposing sidelines.  Last season would be the first official clash between the two, who are quite good friends, both on and off the football field.  Meyer has always showed a shine to Durkin who worked as one of his key assistants, as some form of Defensive Coordinator.  Last season, Durkin was to Defensive Backs Coach for TTUN’s secondary that ended up getting roasted by the Buckeyes.  This year will be completely different.  Durkin is now the Head Coach of the Maryland Terrapins and he is looking for a signature win and what better way to get one by defeating the mighty Buckeyes?  I do not think that would be the case and although plausible, it is highly unlikely as the momentum is in the Buckeyes favor after the 62-3 thrashing of previously #10 overall ranked Nebraska.

imagesJ.T. Barrett comes into the game unscathed.  The Slobs did their part and prevented Barrett from taking unnecessary hits and sacks.  So far, Barrett has shown flashes of his former self and he dominated through the air in last weeks tilt against a good Nebraska Blackshirt Defense.  He finished with 290 passing yards and 4 touchdowns and 8 rushes for 39 yards.  He found his rhythm and hit 8 different receivers throughout the game.  Spreading the ball out to his young crop of receivers and finding them on his second, third or fourth read was effortless.  With the protection of the entire Offensive Line, it made for a highly productive day for everyone.  Mike Weber racked up yardage on the ground and once through the air.  He tallied 87 total yards and a rushing score before aggravating his bum shoulder, and as a precaution, Meyer sat him in favor of true freshman, Demario McCall who showed some speed as he rushed for 73-yards on 16 carries.  Curtis Samuel sparked an offensive onslaught as he touched the ball less than 20 times (13 touches) and he ended the contest with 41 rushing yards and 137 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns.  This week, the offense will look to build momentum for the two teams from up north.  This won’t be super easy, but it will determine a lot and measure their progression.  The date with the Spartans and the Wolverines will be the tougher games, but for now we look toward Maryland.

untitled11The defense looks good.  The Scarlet Curtain and the Silver Bullets have done a wonderful job so far, and that is a testament to the staff and the way they teach their kids, they even get them toys to distract themselves like this one https://www.top9rated.com/best-fidget-cube-on-amazon/.  Last week, the defense pulled out all the stops as they held a Top-10 Nebraska team that is capable of scoring to only a field goal.  They stopped them twice in the red zone on fourth down and asserted themselves throughout.  The Scarlet Curtain also scored twice of interceptions, furthering Nebraska’s demise.  They look to beat up a Maryland team who is searching for a starting Quarterback after their starter suffered an injury last week against TTUN, Durkin’s former boss and team.  We will have to see what they could manage to do once they face this young Terrapins team that in floundering during Durkin’s first year at the helm.  This game will likely feature a ton of young DMV prospects, these elite prospects most likely are considering both Maryland and Ohio State at this point, and I am sure the Buckeyes would want to put on a show for them.  It will be Coach Johnson and his Rushmen against Coach Durkin and his staff.  We will see who wins out on key DMV based recruits.

Prediction:

I don’t want to go too crazy, but barring Hills being available, I will predict a win for Ohio State 42-10.  If Hills isn’t a starter and Pigram gets the nod, Ohio State will try to contain a different Quarterback and it will give Maryland a bigger chance to put up points.  So my final score prediction will be:  Ohio State def. Maryland 45-16

 

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