Jeremiah Smith, Julian Sayin star as No. 5 Ohio State beats Maryland 45-16 before brutal stretch

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — His cheeks flushed the color of Ohio State’s scarlet jerseys, coach Ryan Day didn’t hold back from showing his frustration.

Mistakes against Maryland are one thing. With a season-shaping gauntlet of games ahead, Day knows the Buckeyes can’t make them again.

“We’ve got to get this stuff fixed,” Day said. “There’s too much at stake here.”

Jeremiah Smith scored touchdowns on his first two touches to enhance his Heisman Trophy profile and Julian Sayin had four TD passes as No. 5 Ohio State warmed up for a brutal stretch of Big Ten games with a sometimes-messy 45-16 win over Maryland on Saturday.

Smith turned two short catches into dazzling scores, and Sayin connected with tight ends Nate Roberts and Mason Williams for TDs as the Buckeyes (5-1, 3-0) built a 31-10 halftime lead despite some sloppy moments in a steady drizzle.

Smith had a season-low four catches for 93 yards, but the wide receiver made the most of his chances. He already owns every major Ohio State record and now has 38 career receiving TDs, one shy of the conference record.

The game was the 100th at Ohio State for Day, who improved to 87-13.

But his Buckeyes turned the ball over twice and committed eight penalties — four by the defense on Maryland’s lone TD drive — and must play much better in the next few weeks.

Ohio State visits defending national champion Indiana next Saturday and No. 19 Southern California on Oct. 31 before hosting No. 13 Oregon on Nov. 7 — a three-game stretch that could define the Buckeyes’ season.

With one loss already, Ohio State’s margin for making the playoffs is thin. Any kind of slip up could be devastating.

As the penalties and mistakes mounted, a visibly upset Day stalked the sideline and didn’t hold back in letting his players and staff hear about it.

“You can’t accept that as a coach,” he said. “We’ve all got to own it.”

The Terrapins (2-4, 0-3) lost their third straight game, but capitalized on Ohio State’s miscues to hang around.

Maryland linebacker Daniel Wingate picked off a deflected Sayin pass and returned it 51 yards for a TD in the third quarter to pull Maryland within 31-16, sending a shiver through an Ohio State crowd that thinned out considerably at halftime.

But the Buckeyes regrouped and put Maryland away on the ground with Bo Jackson scoring on runs of 25 and 2 yards.

“That was really good to see,” said Sayin, who finished 13 of 21 for 242 yards. “It all came together.”

Strike a pose

Smith showed why he’s considered college football’s best player — and maybe the Heisman frontrunner — in the first half.

It took just two plays.

The junior gave the Buckeyes a 7-0 lead by snatching a short pass and breaking a tackle before bolting down the right sideline for a 33-yard TD.

After Maryland cut it to 14-10, Smith restored order with a 40-yarder, his 11th TD in three weeks. He later made a jaw-dropping one-handed grab to set up Sayin’s pass to Williams with 24 seconds left before halftime.

O-Line Shuffle

Injuries forced Ohio State to make significant changes across its offensive line as both starting tackles — Phillip Daniels and Austin Siereveld — were out.

Gabe Van Sickle, who has been starting at right guard, replaced Siereveld with sophomore Jake Cook making his first career start at guard. Also, Ian Moore was in again for Daniels, who has been sidelined since the loss to Texas.

Siereveld’s absence was a surprise. Day said the decision to sit him came hours before kickoff.

The Buckeyes were also without wide receivers Brandon Inniss and Devin McCuin.

Terp Troubles

Since winning its first two games, Maryland has dropped four in a row. The Terrapins have also been outscored 147-42 in the past three.

Time could be running short for coach Mike Locksley, who is 38-48 in his eighth season.

“My focus is on Rutgers for next week,” Locksley said when asked if he deserves a chance to get things right. “It’s not on anything other than that. My job as the head coach is to evaluate each week the things that show up on tape. I’ll keep showing up tomorrow, Monday, Tuesday, with a plan to attack the issues that show up today.”

Up next

Maryland: Host Rutgers on Oct. 17.

Ohio State: A showdown with the Hoosiers, who nipped the Buckeyes 13-10 in last season’s Big Ten championship. Indiana hasn’t beaten Ohio State at home since 1988.

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