COLUMBUS, Ohio – Heading into their first Big Ten game of the football season, the Buckeyes seem to have no worries in one aspect of their game, but one big one on the other side of the ball.
Ohio State travels to Maryland Saturday (Noon/ABC).
While the Buckeye offense has found a new gear, its pass defense was a big problem against the Bearcats, giving up four big plays, including three touchdowns, to the dismay of head coach Urban Meyer.
That is the risk a team takes when it challenges its opponents passing game with press coverage, but the Buckeyes got burned far too often.
“We’re not going to give in just because we have a one on one matchup we lost. That’s going to happen. However, it’s happening too frequently right now,” he said.
Maryland will pose a challenge. The Terrapins are averaging 262 yards per game through the air with a talented corps of receivers led by Stefon Diggs (79.8 ypg/2 TDs).
The Terps, playing their first Big Ten home game, will have to figure out a way to slow the (almost) point-a-minute Buckeyes.
Led by freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett and tailback Ezekiel Elliott, the Buckeyes (3-1) have scored 116 points and totaled 78 first downs and 1,338 yards the past two weeks in victories over defense-challenged Kent State and Cincinnati.