Ryan Day ramps up urgency as No. 5 Ohio State faces Maryland before brutal stretch

Even though Ohio State is ranked fifth and posted an impressive road victory at Iowa last week, coach Ryan Day knows there are many more challenges ahead after the Buckeyes wrap up the first half of its season against Maryland on Saturday.

That is why he has had a sense of greater urgency this week even though Ohio State is a nearly five-touchdown favorite.

“The biggest thing I keep talking about is that we have to keep challenging each other. And sometimes it’s OK to challenge somebody and be wrong because you care enough that you want them to maximize who they are. So it’s in a race against time right now," Day said. "We’ve got to get better this week against Maryland. We’ve got to take the next step and upgrade everything that we’re doing. So those are some of the messages we have right now.”

The Buckeyes (4-1, 2-0 Big Ten) have three straight tough tests coming up after facing the Terrapins. Ohio State is at No. 7 Indiana next Saturday followed by a trip to No. 19 Southern California on Oct. 31 and hosting 13th-ranked Oregon on Nov. 7.

Maryland (2-3, 0-2) comes in facing a different challenge. With three straight losses and the program’s struggles over the past couple seasons, there is increasing speculation about coach Mike Locksley’s future.

After consecutive 8-5 seasons in 2022 and ’23, the Terrapins have gone 10-19, including just 2-18 in conference games.

“Obviously the last three weeks isn’t good enough, isn’t the standard that we need to have for our program. Our players know it, we as coaches know it, obviously I know it. But nobody’s hanging their heads. We’ve got a lot of work to do,” said Locksley, who is in his eighth season at Maryland.

This is the first time since 2023 the two programs have met with Ohio State winning the previous nine meetings.

Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith and Maryland's Chris Durr Jr. are the top two receivers in the nation in receptions per game.

Smith is averaging 10.4 catches and also leads the nation with 823 receiving yards and is tied for first with nine touchdowns. Durr is second with 8.4 receptions per game and is fifth in the conference with 461 receiving yards.

The Terrapins have allowed fewer than 250 passing yards in eight straight road games, the fourth-longest active streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Maintaining that streak will be a tough task on Saturday.

“When I think of playing teams that have explosive playmakers like that, I think the thing that comes to mind for defending them is how do you cup it? How do you keep it in front of you, and do a really good job of cupping the skill players that they have? That means playing with depth, good eyes and vision," Locksley said.

Smith and Durr are the only receivers in the Big Ten with consecutive games with at least 10 receptions.

While Day has been happy with the physicality from running backs Bo Jackson and Ja'Kobi Jackson, he is still looking for his running game to generate more explosive runs.

Ohio State has only three rushing plays of at least 20 yards, tied for fourth-worst in the conference.

“The efficiency is solid, but we want to be more explosive still. We want to create bigger runs. I think that they’re there to be had, but that’s everybody involved with it. When you can create explosives in a run game, that’s when your offense can really take off,” Day said.

Maryland quarterback Malik Washington has at least 30 passing attempts in eight straight games, the longest active streak in the nation.

The sophomore leads the conference and is sixth nationally with 24.8 completions per game. However, he has thrown six interceptions in the last two games.

“They present a lot of speed, a great quarterback. He likes to take shots downfield and give his dudes opportunity. A lot of speed guys. It’s going to be a fun game," Ohio State safety Earl Little Jr. said.

Saturday will be the 100th game with Day as Ohio State’s coach. He is 86-13 and his 86.9% winning percentage is second all-time among college football coaches.

This will be the 87th game under Day where the Buckeyes have been ranked in the top five.

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