And just like that, Ohio State fans are turning on head coach Ryan Day faster than you can say Lou Holtz. Mike Locksley's Maryland Terrapins defense must be playing with a full 11 guys on every down because why else would the Buckeyes be struggling with them so badly? What I think is happening here is Maryland should have been ranked heading into this game, and everybody probably knows it.
Well, that may not be what is happening to Buckeye Nation in Columbus currently. Clearly, they are in denial about the Terps being good because starting quarterback Kyle McCord is a total stiff and Day is a walking trash can. I did not say those things, only relaying the most important information coming over from the fine folks at Message Board Geniuses. Either way, it is a bad time over in Columbus.
Ohio State may be the No. 4 team in the nation, but the Buckeyes have been far from a perfect team. Their road win over Notre Dame was impressive, but another road win over hapless Indiana was less than stellar. Jim Knowles' defense might be much improved, but maybe Brian Hartline is not an offensive coordinator. Regardless, Ohio State fans want to label Day the 21st-century John Cooper.
I am waiting for a broken flat screen to be rolling down the Olentangy two days after Thanksgiving.
Everything sucks in Columbus and everybody is having the worst Saturday of their lives, people!
Ohio State fans are losing it as the Buckeyes struggle with ... Maryland
Look. I have seen enough through the first several weeks of the season. Ohio State feels like the third-best team in the Big Ten East, and Maryland is right behind them at fourth. The Buckeyes may still be able to hold on to beat the Terrapins at home, but I have major doubts about their chances of beating Penn State later this season and arch-rival Michigan during the final week of the regular-season slate.
In time, McCord may be fine at quarterback. Then again, his predecessors in Dwayne Haskins, Justin Fields and C.J. Stroud did not struggle this badly in their first seasons as full-time starters. Like Fields, he was a five-star coming out of high school. His high school teammate Marvin Harrison Jr. is well on his way towards being a top-five pick in 2024. Will McCord emerge as a top-five Big Ten quarterback?
What I think we are seeing is Ohio State very much in a rebuilding year offensively, combined with Maryland having its best team since Locksley returned to College Park after attending the Nick Saban coaching rehabilitation clinic. Either way, the gap between No. 3 and No. 4 in the Big Ten East has never felt tighter. If Maryland wins, it will be the Terrapins first over the favored Buckeyes ... ever!
Time and the home crowd may be on Ohio State's side, but it has been a challenging game for them.
