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Ohio State football: Buckeyes face Maryland in Big Ten home opener

By The Sports Xchange
The Ohio State Buckeyes and head football coach Urban Meyer will take on the Maryland Terrapins in their Big Ten home opener. Photo by Ian Halperin/UPI
The Ohio State Buckeyes and head football coach Urban Meyer will take on the Maryland Terrapins in their Big Ten home opener. Photo by Ian Halperin/UPI | License Photo

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State remains undefeated and No. 1 in the polls, but the Buckeyes aren't steamrolling opponents in a manner that many fans and analysts expected after returning most of last season's national championship team.

Last week, Indiana took Ohio State to the wire before the Buckeyes escaped with a 34-27 victory when the Hoosiers failed to connect on a potential game-tying pass in the end zone on fourth down in the final seconds.

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As Ohio State (5-0, 1-0) prepares for Saturday's Big Ten home opener against Maryland (2-3, 0-1) in Ohio Stadium (noon ET, Big Ten Network), is there cause for concern among the faithful and the national pundits despite an 18-game winning streak?

"When you start getting effort and attitude (issues) -- that's where red flags start showing up and I don't feel that at all," coach Urban Meyer said. "And I've watched for that like a hawk because I've seen that infiltrate a team before. And we see it across the country all the time. And we've seen it happen here."

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The biggest issues so far stem from the offense. Turnovers and penalties and producing in the red zone, which were strengths last year, have slowed the Buckeyes in 2015.

Against Indiana, Ohio State failed to score a touchdown on its trips into the red zone and finished the game with three turnovers and eight penalties for 109 yards.

In the first five games, the Buckeyes have 13 turnovers (six fumbles, seven interceptions) for a minus-4 margin that ranks 101st of 128 FBS teams. Their red-zone conversion rate of 75 percent (12-of-16) is ranked even lower at No. 108 nationally. Of the 12 scores in the red zone, only six have been touchdowns.

The lack of production inside the 20 has Meyer and his coaching staff pondering how to improve. Last week, running back Ezekiel Elliott provided the bulk of the offense with second-half touchdown runs of 55, 65 and 75 yards on the way to a career-high 274 rushing yards. Meyer acknowledged this week that he has considered bringing in dual-threat backup quarterback J.T. Barrett during red zone trips in place of starter Cardale Jones.

Last year with Barrett at quarterback for a majority of the season, Ohio State scored on 63 of 74 red-zone trips (85.1 percent), including 53 touchdowns.

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"We've thought about it. We've had that conversation," Meyer said of using Barrett. "At this time, we haven't made any decisions on that right now."

Jones seems to be bearing the brunt of the blame from fans who have high expectations fueled by last season's success and what's perceived as a soft schedule this year. He misfired on two passes in the red zone during one series and had one picked off on another drive deep into Indiana territory.

But Meyer notes that Jones still completed 18-of-27 passes for 245 yards.

"He threw almost 70 percent completion rate," Meyer said. "We misfired on three in a row, which is awful. And it's not just him, it's just the timing of the wideouts and the quarterbacks, and I've addressed that.

"But if you hit three of those passes you're over 70 percent completion rate and obviously the one pick was inexcusable. And he's getting better. He had one of his better days."

Saturday's game might be an opportunity for the Ohio State offense to get back into beast mode. Maryland is next-to-last in the Big Ten in total defense, allowing 449.4 yards per game. The Buckeyes are second in the big Ten in points per game (34.4) and in rushing (239.6 yards).

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"I think everybody needs to relax," Ohio State guard Billy Price said. "We will take care of business."

NOTES, QUOTES

PLAYERS TO WATCH --LB Raekwon McMillan continues to be a tackling machine for Ohio State. The sophomore led the team with 14 tackles last Saturday against Indiana, including nine solos, to boost his season total to a team-leading 54 stops, with 29 solos. McMillan is tied for the Big Ten lead in total tackles. In the last two games, he has produced 30 tackles.

--RB Ezekiel Elliott ran wild last week against Indiana, saving Ohio State from being upset in its Big Ten opener by rushing for 274 yards and second half touchdowns of 55, 65 and 75 yards. The 274 yards tied with Keith Byars (1984) for the second most in school history behind Eddie George's 314 yards in 1995. Elliott's 243 yards in the second half and his 11.9 yards-per-carry average in the game were a school record. With 729 yards rushing in five games this season, Elliott ranks sixth in the country and first in the Big Ten in rushing yards. Another big game could be in the offing this week against a porous Maryland run defense.

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--H-back Jalin Marshall led the Buckeyes in the win at Indiana in receiving with six catches for a career-best 110 yards. He added 76 yards on punt returns, including a 28-yarder. Marshall did lose two fumbles, though. In four games this season, Marshall has 12 catches for 201 yards and is second on the team behind RB Ezekiel Elliott in all-purpose yards with 356. His 12.9-yard punt return average is second in the Big Ten.

--DT Adolphus Washington was Ohio State's second leading tackler against Indiana last week with a career-high 10 stops. His veteran presence in the middle has helped the Buckeyes rank among the top defenses in the country in points and yards per game allowed. And his 28 tackles in five games are fourth best on the team. He also has an interception and a fumble recovery this season.

SERIES HISTORY: Ohio State won the only previous meeting with Maryland. Last year, the Buckeyes went to College Park, Md., and came away with a 52-24 victory over the Terrapins.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "It definitely boosts our morale. Everyone has been dogging the offensive line, so it represents what our unit is all about -- a bunch of tough, hard-working dudes giving it their all and trying to help our team make plays." -- Ohio State G Billy Price on RB Ezekiel's 274-yard rushing performance against Indiana.

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