TerpsB have a long way to go

Some takeaways from Maryland’s 66-17 loss to No. 7 Ohio State

Maryland football allowed No. 7 Ohio State to have a field day in its 66-17 loss on Saturday.

Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud threw the ball all over the field at Ohio Stadium while receivers Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson looked every bit like potential first-round picks in the 2022 NFL draft.

The Terps, who were one of the top defensive teams in the Big Ten through the first four games, allowed the Buckeyes to amass 598 total yards. Stroud was responsible for most of them, throwing for 406 yards and five touchdowns.

Injuries continue to mount for Maryland (4-2, 1-2 Big Ten), as junior receiver Jeshaun Jones was carted off the field during the opening minutes of the first quarter with a knee injury. Jones’ injury comes a week after senior receiver Dontay Demus Jr. suffered a season-ending knee injury.

Junior quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa looked much better after a disastrous 51-14 loss to then-No. 5 Iowa, throwing for 279 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions against the Buckeyes. Meanwhile, sophomore receiver Rakim Jarrett was silenced for the majority of the game, as he recorded just one reception for 43 yards and a touchdown.

The one positive from the Terps’ performance was that they only committed two penalties after recording 10 a week ago against the Hawkeyes.

Here are three takeaways from Maryland’s second straight blowout loss:

After Maryland opened the season 4-0 for the first time since 2016, the Terps were hit with the harsh reality that they still have a long way to go to be competitive against the top teams in the Big Ten.

Over the past two games, Maryland has allowed a combined 117 points and 1,026 total yards. Entering Saturday’s game, Ohio State had scored 350 points against Maryland in six recent meetings, the most by one Big Ten school against another over any six-game span in conference history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Maryland is 0-6 against top-15 opponents since Mike Locksley took over as head coach in 2019. In those games, the Terps have allowed 52.3 points per game.

“When you look at it, we played No. 5 [Iowa] and No. 7 [Ohio State] and we are obviously not there yet,” Locksley said. “We have a lot of work to do as a program, and it’s good to see just how far we’ve come sitting at 4-2 at the halfway point as we limp into the bye week. Through recruiting, roster development — we have a lot to do to compete at that level.”

Yes, the culture within the Terps football program has changed. But there’s still much work to be done for Maryland to go toe-totoe with the elite programs in the conference. That won’t be a quick fix.