MARYLAND WEEK / Ohio State Buckeyes LIVE 390

Ohio State Buckeyes LIVE 390 — Maryland week notes. OhioStateVOCFB. Host Mark Rogers with Bucknuts247’s Steve Helwagen, Buckeye Weekly’s Tony Gerdeman, and Inside Maryland Sports’ Jack Sheehan.

Aired after Ohio State’s second straight Big Ten win at Iowa, with Maryland next in Columbus and Indiana the week after.

Final at Kinnick: Ohio State 31, Iowa 14 (or 31-6 before a late Iowa score while OSU was managing the clock). OSU 484 total yards. Largest margin by a visitor in Iowa City since 2013, per the show. Iowa won the toss, took the ball, and lost it two plays later.

Opening sequence (3:06). Iowa’s decision to receive backfired. Kenyatta Jackson stripped the quarterback; Julian Sayin hit Devin McEwen for a TD. 7-0. Early lull after that: 7-3, 10-3, 10-6, plus a missed long field goal. Defense calibrated early in the second quarter. Iowa went five real possessions without a score (not counting the half-ending kneel). OSU scored before the half, again in the third, and the game was effectively over at 24-6 / 31-6. Hank Brown missed elementary throws and is not viewed as a Big Ten-caliber quarterback. OSU’s last drive: 16 plays, about 9:30, only ~55 yards, clock killed. Children’s Hospital wave noted; Helwagen and Stephen Means were the only press-box people waving.

Tony’s read (1:32). Expected script. If Sayin has time, it is not close — and it still was not close when he did not. Jeremiah Smith plus generally accurate Sayin, plus enough run game. Jacoby Jackson and Bo Jackson stayed on schedule; count RPOs as rush yards. Defense “fixed” some Illinois issues, but holding Iowa to 14 means little until it is tested by a real offense. Maryland is a soft test. Indiana is the real one: they will run it at you.

Smith workload (7:10–13:00). 15-ish targets vs. Iowa after 16 vs. Illinois — running-back volume. Back-to-back 200-yard receiving games, first in OSU history, both against Big Ten teams, eight days apart. Bill Landis stat: six 200-yard receiving games in the first 135 years of OSU football; Smith just did it twice. Tony’s line: his amazing is now his average. Helwagen’s Mount Rushmore framing (Ari Wasserman): Orlando Pace, Archie Griffin, Jeremiah Smith; Chic Harley as the fourth. Helwagen calls him the 1-2-3 Heisman vote as of Oct. 6 and says no one else needs to show up in New York. Tony’s caveat: against Maryland he may only play a half if it is 28-3, with Indiana next.

Devin McEwen (7:26). Four catches, 80 yards. Tony’s point: this cannot be only Smith, same way 2019 was not only J.K. Dobbins with Wilson and Olave also there.

Triple-coverage catch (15:22). Sayin threw into double and triple coverage. Smith lightly tapped the defender in front, jumped, caught it between three, then ran ~30 more into the red zone. Drive ended in the doinked field goal.

Kicking / special teams (16:18–22:00). Connor Hawkins hit the upright from ~55; missed by about nine inches, not 20 yards wide. Also missed the end-of-Texas kick. Tony: fan PTSD is real; punting has been average for three years; Day talks about wanting better and accepts average. Nick McLarty never got consistent; they did not portal a punter. Return game is non-existent by design — fair catch, start at the 25. Devin McEwen fair-catches because Legend Bey is not trusted back there. Iowa pinned OSU at the 4; OSU’s answering punt from near midfield went to the 24. Helwagen’s counter: Michigan has lost two straight in part because of special teams (100-yard Iowa kick return; muffed punt vs. Minnesota).

Penalties. Four pre-snap on offense, one on a punt, two PI on Devin Sanchez, a hold. Loud building. False starts included Van Sickle, Searveld, and Will Kacmarek jumping with Searveld so he was not singled out.

Run game (31:26–35:00). About 160 net rushing. Jacoby Jackson not tackled in the backfield, finds creases. Bo Jackson finished with the most carries and ran well late. Isaiah West (about 6 for 26) got the drive from inside the 5 — trusted with the ball, and that drive scores only ~10% of the time, so no need to spend Bo or Jacoby. No run longer than 17 yards in four straight games since Ball State. Day wants explosives; Tony wonders how many “run-game” explosives are actually Smith RPOs. OL run-blocking graded A-minus / B-plus by the hosts.

Front rotation (29:23). Three to five new defensive linemen checked in on many snaps, including before the first play. Stephen Means: no way you have that much depth. Production spread (Earl Little around six tackles; Edric Houston active at DT). Subbing also slows the opponent.

• Kyle Parker (LSU transfer WR): missed first five games, has been warming up, trying to go this week.
• Jay Timmons (nickel): warmed up, shut down, in uniform, did not play. Hosts felt the nickel spot missed him.
• Phillip Daniels (RT): getting closer. Gabe Van Sickle has been outstanding at guard per Luke Montgomery; what Daniels’ return does to the line is unsettled.
• Kari Wilder and Legend Bey: both warmed up, neither played vs. Iowa. Day went ~two minutes on Wilder without specifics: boxes must be checked, position coaches hold players accountable, players hold themselves accountable. Asked later if Bey falls under the same description, Day said yes. Hosts read it as standards, not a major culture problem — late to study table, class, practice, or simply not ready on the field. They will not hand snaps to keep a portal guy. Counterexamples who do play: Simeon Caldwell (true freshman LB in dime), Timmons won the nickel, Bo Jackson, Chris Henry Jr. and Brock Boyd out-snapping senior Brandon Innis. Day has said they want more explosion in the run game and are taking applications at DE — and the five-star answers are on the bench because they have not earned it in practice. Wilder’s usage has been “go get the quarterback” in the speed package, no real gap assignment.

Maryland is the last soft chance to get young guys live reps. Everyone else left on the schedule has a winning record.

Mike Locksley. Seat was hot, now piping hot. AD Jim Smith (did not hire him; former OSU marketing director under Andy Geiger, Crew, Falcons president) gave a public vote of confidence and money last offseason. Program retained Malik Washington and a large starter group and added portal pieces — “push the chips in.” Result: three straight losses, two blowouts, back-to-back 4-8 seasons, tracking toward 3-9. Home loss to UCLA 54-3 is the kind of result programs do not come back from. They were in the Nebraska game (led by 9-10 in the first half; 28-23 entering the fourth) before a pick-six — third pick-six in two weeks. Consensus: when, not if. Bye after Rutgers is the logical window. Buyout savings from waiting until season’s end is under $1 million. Staff can already be building portal lists.

Why it got worse with 16 starters back. Defense did not live up to the returners (lost Zaheer Mathis; Sydney Stewart, freshman All-American with 7-8 sacks last year, has only about two this year). Run game stalled, OL is not good, RB injuries forced a walk-on into carries. Everything landed on Washington, still young: accuracy issues, poor touch on deep balls, rocket arm and athleticism, turnovers. Chris Derr is second nationally in receptions and the best Maryland receiver since D.J. Moore. Locksley said Washington is about where they expected; the fan base does not want to hear that.

Next coach. Sheehan wants an X’s-and-O’s coach more than a recruiter. Maryland will not out-recruit Ohio State, Penn State, or others for DMV talent (Chase Young, Dwayne Haskins, etc.). Preference is an established head coach; a first-time coordinator is higher risk but possible (Will Stein model). Manny Diaz is a name he has thought about.

Maryland DL. Luke Montgomery called it the best DL OSU has seen, even without Mathis. Edges: Sydney Stewart (get-off, motor) and five-star freshman Zion Ely (raw, flashes, about two sacks). Interior is bigger and deeper than Maryland has been. UCLA and Nebraska still ran on them. Talent is ahead of the results.

Sheehan’s site: maryland.247sports.com. No site staff expected in Columbus except possibly publisher Jeff Ermann.

OSU’s average margin vs. Maryland is about 32. Two wins by 59 (including 73-14 and 62-3). 2018 in College Park: 52-51 in OT; Urban Meyer blacking out on the sideline; Maryland’s two-point try failed with a man open; Haskins threw for 405; Maryland ran for 339 (394 if sacks removed) on 48 carries and threw only 14 times. Pete Thamel’s cyst story followed; Meyer was in the NFL a year later. 2023 in Columbus: 37-17, Josh Proctor pick turned it. Last trip to College Park was tighter until a Lathan Ransom blocked punt.

Day is 56-5 in the Big Ten after the Iowa win; Meyer was 54-4. Under Day, home losses are Oregon and Michigan twice. Helwagen: Nebraska 5-0 and unranked, Indiana 5-0 and around 6th-7th, settled Saturday in Lincoln — “Super Bowl” for Matt Rhule. If Indiana gets through that, next week in Bloomington is the game of the year. Hosts do not think looking ahead to Indiana matters against Maryland; OSU is about a five-touchdown favorite.

Conference oddities: Michigan, Penn State, Michigan State, Illinois, Washington all 0-2 in the Big Ten; Wisconsin and Minnesota 2-0. About a third of Big Ten games so far have been upsets. Northwestern (David Braun, Chip Kelly, Aiden Chiles) beat Penn State at the new Ryan Field despite missing three top DBs, a tight end, and playing a third-string left guard. Empty purple seats between the 20s in the first half blamed on secondary-market prices.

• 1:32 — Tony: if Sayin has time it is not close, and it still was not.
• 3:06 — Iowa takes the ball, strip-sack, Sayin to McEwen, 7-0.
• 9:49 — Six 200-yard games in 135 years; Smith did it twice in eight days.
• 12:43 — Helwagen: Smith is the 1-2-3 Heisman vote, Oct. 6.
• 15:30 — Triple-coverage catch and the freeze, then 30 more yards.
• 16:30 — Doink off the upright; “get off the kicker.”
• 23:40 — Day on boxes, accountability, Wilder and Bey not playing.
• 37:00 — Sheehan: Locksley’s seat is piping hot; 54-3 at home is the point of no return.
• 55:48 — Michigan, Penn State, Michigan State, Illinois all 0-2; Wisconsin 2-0.

Gerdeman: Day/player rundown and the Smith “incredible is average” piece at Buckeye Insiders; Buckeye Weekly episodes on freshmen not playing, special teams, and winning with a workhorse receiver. Helwagen: Day coverage, then the Cincinnati exhibition at the Mason tennis center, Maryland Saturday, Indiana the week after. Next Buckeyes Live: Tuesday, 4 p.m. ET.

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