OHIO STATE
FOOTBALL
GAME SIX
7 OHIO STATE (4-1, 2-0 B1G) VS. MARYLAND (4-1, 1-1 B1G)
Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021 • Noon • Columbus, Ohio • Ohio Stadium (102,780) • FOX
Head Coach: Ryan Day
Record at Ohio St.: 27-3 (3rd)
Career Record: Same
Career vs. Maryland: 1-0
Head Coach: Mike Locksley
Record at Maryland: 10-18 (3rd)
Career Record: 12-44 (6th)
Career vs. Ohio State: 0-1
FIRST AND TEN
f Ohio State will host the Maryland Terrapins in a
12:05 p.m. game Saturday at Ohio Stadium.
f The game will be the 99th Homecoming game
in school history. Ohio State is 73-19-5 in
Homecoming games, a won-loss mark that does
not include the 2010 win.
f The Buckeyes are 6-0 all-time against Maryland;
3-0 at Ohio Stadium and 3-0 in College Park.
f The two Big Ten East Division rivals did not play
as scheduled in College Park, Md., in 2020.
The game was one of three Ohio State games
cancelled the week of the game because of the
COVID-19 pandemic.
f Ohio State is averaging 58.3 points per game
in its six meetings against Maryland while
the Terrapins have been swinging right back
offensively with 22.3 points per contest,
including 51 in a double overtime affair in 2018.
f Secondary coach Matt Barnes, who also
calls the defensive signals for the Buckeyes,
was Maryland’s special team’s coordinator/
linebackers coach for three years (2016-18).
f Ohio State DL coach Larry Johnson was a high
school coach for 19 years in the DMV area.
22 500-YARD GAMES
Coach Ryan Day’s Ohio State
Buckeye teams have amassed 22
games of 500-yards-or-more in
total offense in his 30 games as a
head coach. Ohio State leads the
nation so far in 2021 in total offense
with 555.6 yards per game and
in yards per play at 8.57, and it is
fourth in scoring with 45.0 points
per game and tied for second in
third down conversions at 55.2 pct
BY THE NUMBERS
10
Ohio State’s 10 consecutive
Big Ten road wins by double
digits is a conference record,
per BTN research. The last
road win not by 10-plus: at
Maryland in 2018 (52-51).
27
There were 27 true (19) and
red-shirt freshmen among the
74-member travel roster to
Rutgers and 23 of those freshmen played, including four of
whom started.
3
As first reported by Eleven
Warriors, the Ohio State
defense has tied the 2016
Buckeye defense with three
consecutive games with a
“pick-6”, a school-record.
50+
Since the start of 2019, Alabama (11 times), Ohio State (10)
and Clemson and LSU (nine
apiece) have scored 50-ormore points more than any
other schools in the nation.
SCOUTING OHIO STATE
f Ohio State enters its Homecoming game
this week with a 4-1 overall record and 2-0
mark in the Big Ten. Both of its conference
wins have come on the road.
f The Buckeyes are averaging 50.6 points
in the last three games and are giving up
just 13.6.
f Over the last two games – in wins over
Akron and Rutgers – Ohio State’s defense
is surrendering 287.5 yards per game and
has given up just three touchdowns.
f Ohio State’s defense has improved by 49
positions in scoring defense and by 34 in
total offense the past two weekends.
f The Buckeyes have not allowed a rushing
touchdown since Week 2 against Oregon
and are allowing just 86.6 yards per game
on the ground over the last three games.
f SAF Ronnie Hickman continues to be one
of Ohio State’s most consistent performers
on defense. His 11-tackle performance
on Saturday gives him a team-best 44
total stops for the season. Hickman has
registered double figures in tackles in three
of the Buckeyes’ five games.
f Hickman is one of only three players in the
country to have at least 44 total tackles
AND multiple interceptions this season.
Credit: Griffin Strom, 11W.
f On the other side of the ball, Ohio State’s
offense ranks fourth in points per game
(45.0), eighth in passing (336.2 yards/
game) and first in yards per game (555.6).
f Redshirt freshman quarterback C.J. Stroud
is sixth nationally – and first among
freshmen – in passer rating at 181.8 and he
is 10th in TD passes (13).
f Stroud also leads the Big Ten in passing
yards per game (323.3), quarterback rating
and TD passes.
f His five touchdown passes last week at
Rutgers were the most ever by a freshman
in a Big Ten game
MORE OHIO STATE BUCKEYE NOTES
f Ohio State has won 20 consecutive Big
Ten Conference games. This is the longest
streak in the Big Ten since Ohio State’s
national-record 30-game conference
winning streak from 2013-15.
Coach Ryan Day’s teams are 17-0 in Big Ten Conference play.
f Jeremy Rucket’s 19-yard touchdown
reception last week at Rutgers gives him
10 for his career, which ties him with John
Lumpkin (1996-98) for the second-most
among tight ends. Jake Stoneburner holds
the record with 13.
f Seven players scored vs. Rutgers, including
a touchdown for TE Mitch Rossi on his first
career reception.
f That “pick-6” for Denzel Burke: his first at
any level of competition.
f Burke is T7th nationally with seven passes
defended (6 PBUs and 1 INT).
f Ohio State’s defense is second nationally in
passes defended (38; 31 PBUs nd 7 INTs).
f On the strength of a season’s-best three
turnovers forced vs. Rutgers (INTs by Burke,
Tommy Eichenberg and Ryan Watts), Ohio
State is T25th nationally in TO margin at
.80 per game.
f Ohio State’s record for consecutive games
with 500-or-more yards of total offense: six
in 2017 and 2020.
f Ohio State’s record for “pick-6’s” in a
season: 7 in 2016.
f Haskell Garrett’s three QB sacks vs.
Akron are tied for seventh in school
history. The record is 4.0 by a handful of
players, including Chase Young (2019 vs.
Wisconsin).
f Frosh DT Tyliek Williams has now
registered a QB sack in three consecutive
games.
f Kicker Noah Ruggles has converted on 14
consecutive FGAs inside of 50 yards.
BUCKEYES FROM MARYLAND
f LB Mitchell Melton (Olney), SAF Bryson
Shaw (Eldersberg) and DT Taron Vincent
(Baltimore).
SCOUTING MARYLAND
f The Terrapins got off to a 4-0 start before
suffering a loss last Friday night at home to
No. 3 Iowa.
f Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa leads
the Big Ten in completion percentage,
connecting on 72.2 percent of his passes
for 1,497 yards and 12 touchdowns.
f His two favorite targets have been Dontay
Demus Jr., who has caught 28 passes for
507 yards, and Rakim Jarrett, who has 21
receptions for 276 yards and four TDs.
f Tayon Fleet-Davis is Maryland’s top threat
at running back. He’s averaging 7.0 yards
per carry (47 attempts, 331 yards) and has
scored four times.
f Three Terrapin defensive backs have
20-plus tackles so far: Jordan Mosley (24),
Nick Cross (22 and two interceptions) and
Tarheeb Still (21 tackles and one sack).
f Head coach Mike Locksley is in his third full
season leading Maryland. He also served
as the team’s interim head coach during
the final six games of the 2015 season.
Locksley has a 10-18 record in College
Park and 12-44 mark overall in his seventh
season as a head coach.
BIG RUNS FROM TREVEYON
f On the second offensive play from
scrimmage last week at Rutgers, freshman
TreVeyon Henderson scored of a 44-yard
touchdown – his fourth rush this season of
40 yards or more. That’s tied for the most
of any running back in the country, along
with Keaton Mitchell of East Carolina.
f Henderson and Mitchell are also tied for
the national lead in rushes of 30 or more
yards (six).
f Henderson’s 9.5 yards-per-carry average
is fourth best nationally and third among
players with 40 or more carries.
FIVE CONSECUTIVE B1G AWARDS
f If the Buckeyes are playing this season,
it means they are also winning a Big Ten
Freshman of the Week award.
f On Monday, quarterback C.J. Stroud was
named the conference’s Freshman of
the Week following his 330-yard, five-TD
performance at Rutgers.
f Stroud is a three-time Big Ten Freshmen of
the Week while TreVeyon Henderson and
Kyle McCord have each won it once.
f Henderson was also the Big Ten’s co-Player
of the Week on Sept. 13 after a 270-yard
outing against Tulsa.
STATISTICAL MATCHUP
Catagory OSU NCAA B1G UMD NCAA B1G
Scoring Offense 45.0 4th 1st 32.6 45th 5th
Scoring Defense 21.2 42nd 8th 21.6 46th 10th
Total Offense 555.6 1st 1st 469.6 23rd 3rd
Total Defense 397.8 84th 11th 345.0 54th 9th
Passing Offense 336.2 8th 1st 317.4 13th 3rd
Passing Defense 251.4 98th 12th 226.6 71st 10th
Rushing Offense 219.8 23rd 3rd 152.2 77th 9th
Rushing Defense 146.4 77th 13th 118.4 37th 6th
Third Down Conversions .552 3rd 1st .400 66th 9th
Third Down Conversion Defense .425 95th 14th .324 32nd 5th
Red Zone Offense .941 19th 3rd .750 104th 11th
Red Zone Defense .824 70th 8th .727 24th 3rd
Turnover Margin +4 25th 7th -4 114th 12th
Tackles for Loss 26.0 86th 9th 36.0 25th 4th
Sacks 14.0 29th 4th 18.0 4th 1st
THE WRs WILSON & OLAVE
f Garrett Wilson has at least one catch in 26 consecutive games.
f That’s the 13th longest streak nationally.
f Wilson needs just one catch to reach 100
for his career.
f In just 27 career games, Wilson has 99
receptions for 1,617 yards and 15 TDs.
f Olave is 10th at Ohio State with 134
receptions and needs two to pass Ted Ginn
Jr. into ninth place.
f Olave is ninth in receiving yards (2,149)
and tied with Cris Carter for third with 27
touchdown receptions.
f More No. 9 for Olave: he has nine twotouchdown games and nine 100-yard
receiving games.
FOUR TRUE FRESHMEN START
f Ohio State started four true freshmen
against Akron: QB Kyle McCord, RB
TreVeyon Henderson, CB Denzel Burke and
DE J.T. Tuimoloau.
f It marked the first time that Ohio State had
ever started a true freshmen at quarterback
and running back in the same game.
BIG PLAY BUCKEYES
f Ohio State currently leads the nation in
yards per play average at 8.57. Only one
other team – Coastal Carolina (8.41) – is
averaging better than eight yards per play.
f The Buckeyes have 12 plays that have
covered 40 yards or more and nine of 50
yards or more.
f TreVeyon Henderson is tied for the lead
nationally with four carries of 40 yards or
more.
f Since Ryan Day’s arrival in 2017, Ohio State
has never finished lower than 11th in the
nation in yards per play. Last year, it was
seventh (7.29 yds/play).
f Two weeks ago, Kyle McCord’s 85-yard
pass to Emeka Egbuka in the third quarter
was tied for the third-longest passing play,
and sixth longest offensive play overall, in
Ohio State history, matching Troy Smith’s
85-yard strike to Santonio Holmes against
Notre Dame in 2005.
BIG TEN FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK X4
f Ohio State has had the Big Ten’s Freshman
of the Week after each of its games so far
this season.
f C.J. Stroud has been named the Big Ten’s
Freshman of the Week following games vs.
Minnesota and Oregon.
f Running back TreVeyon Henderson picked
up his first honor this past Monday on the
strength of his 277-yard effort against Tulsa.
f Quarterback Kyle McCord picked up
the honor on Sept. 27 for his 319-yard
performance vs. Akron that included two
touchdown passes.
STARTING A NEW STREAK
f Ohio State saw its 23-game home winning
streak come to an end of two weeks ago
vs. Oregon.
f Since 2012, Ohio State is 58-4 at home.
MORE STREAKS AND SUCH
f The Buckeyes have won 11 consecutive
regular season Big Ten road games.
f TreVeyon Henderson has scored a
touchdown in each of Ohio State’s first five
games this season.
f Ohio State has finished with 500 or more
yards of total offense in four consecutive
games.
f Ohio State’s defense has scored a
touchdwn in three conseucutive games and
forced two or more turnovers in each of the
last three games.
f Kicker Noah Ruggles, a graduate transfer
from North Carolina, is a perfect 5-for-5 on
field goals so far this season with a long
of 44.
f Ohio State set the B1G record for most
consecutive road wins (nine) by double
digits in its win last week at Rutgers
PUTTING UP POINTS
f Since 2018, Ohio State has scored 40 or
more points in 63.4 percent of its games
(26 of 41).
f That mark is the third highest in the
country, behind only Alabama (77 percent)
and Oklahoma (64.5 percent)
WINNING BIG UNDER DAY
f Ohio State is 24-1 in regular season games
under Ryan Day (excluding conference
championship games).
f Only one of those 21 wins was decided by
a touchdown or less (a 42-35 victory versus
Indiana in 2020).
f The Buckeyes have averaged 49.4 points
per game in their 24 regular seasons wins
under Day.
f Their average margin of victory is 33.4
points per game.
GRADE A FOR ACADEMICS
f It’s been a good couple of years
academically for the Ohio State football
program under the leadership of head
coach Ryan Day.
f Day’s football program was honored in
June by the Varsity O Alumni Society with
its “most improved large team grade point
average” award. It is one of four team
academic awards the Varsity O presents
each year, along with two scholarships.
f A program record 61 student-athletes,
including 44 scholarship players, were
named an OSU Scholar-Athlete for having a
cumulative GPA of 3.00 and above for the
2020-21 academic year
f A program record 40 student-athletes were
named Academic All-Big Ten Conference
this past season; this honor is open to
those who have been enrolled for at least a
full year and carry a cumulative 3.00 grade
point average;
f The team had a cumulative GPA for the
spring semester of 3.05 and a current GPA
for all scholarship players on the cusp of
3.00: 2.998.
COURTESY OSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
