The Maryland Terrapins host the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Terps first Big Ten home game.

Teams: Maryland Terrapins (4-1, 1-0) vs. #20 Ohio State Buckeyes (3-1, 0-0)

Stadium: Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium | College Park, MD

Kickoff: Saturday, October 4 | 12:05pm

Tune In: Saturday’s game will be broadcast live on ABC. Sean McDonough (pbp), Chris Spielman (color) and Todd McShay (sideline) will call the action. The game can also be heard on the Maryland Sports Radio Network with Johnny Holliday (pbp), Tim Strachan (color) and Scott McBrien (sideline) on the call. The game can also be heard on Sirius channel 84 and XM channel 84.

The Maryland Terrapins are coming off a B1G road win against Indiana last weekend which gave the Terps their first win in the Big Ten conference.

Maryland now welcomes #20 Ohio State to College Park in a game where the Terps can prove they can contend in this conference.

The Terrapins have been playing well in all three aspects of the game so far this season.

The offense is averaging 36.8 points per game and has scored a total of 184 points so far this season which is third highest in the Big Ten.

Maryland’s defense has also been playing well by picking off 6 passes and recovering five fumbles which has given the Terps 11 takeaways this season. That is good enough for the third-highest total in the Big Ten and tied for 14th most in the nation.

Special teams is always dangerous with guys like William Likely and Stefon Diggs returning kicks but it’s actually been Brad Craddock who has been making noise with his kicking game. Craddock is perfect on the season in his ten field goal attempts. He is currently one of only nine kickers nationally who are perfect on the year.

Unlike the past two years, Maryland can be a little more confident that they will come away with three points when fourth down comes up.

Both the Buckeyes and the Terps have something to prove in this game.

After the entire nation watched Ohio State get beat at home by Virginia Tech early in the season, the Buckeyes come into College Park hoping to beat up on a team that they believe needs to be initiated into the Big Ten.

Ohio State is led by quarterback J.T. Barrett who has thrown for 13 touchdowns and commands an offense that averages 42.8 points per game.

The Buckeyes run the ball well both with running back Ezekiel Elliott and quarterback J.T. Barrett. Both guys have combined for 528 yards and four touchdowns on the ground this season.

The Terps have home-field advantage and have confirmed that the game is a sell-out.

With support from the crowd, Maryland will look to prove to Ohio State that they belong not only in the conference but in the conversation of best teams in the Big Ten.

C.J. Brown has been named the starter after being relieved by Caleb Rowe during the second-half of the Indiana game due to injury.

Brown was said to have a great week of practice and is ready to continue leading this offense in a big way. The senior quarterback has seven passing touchdowns and five rushing touchdowns this year.

Brown needs to find a way to keep Ohio State guessing with his running game while getting Stefon Diggs and the other wide receivers plenty of touches.

Keys to the Game

Takeaways – Maryland has found ways to pick-off, block and strip the ball away from other teams this season. With 11 takeaways so far this year, the Terps defense is hungry and ready to go up against a very talented offense and prove that they can make teams pay for mistakes. They will need at least one big takeaway if they want a chance to win.

Touches for Diggs – When the ball is in Stefon Diggs hands, good things happen. The star wide-out has over 600 all-purpose yards this season and has found the end zone twice. Getting Diggs involved early will help to open up plays for other players and can give the Terps the big plays they need to compete.

Smart Quarterback Play – C.J. Brown has really done a great job this year offensively. Being able to get him in a rhythm early will help the rest of the team step up. Brown doesn’t need to force balls through the air but he does need to make the throws a veteran quarterback should make. Look for a big game from the sixth year senior.

Other Notes

Maryland will be rocking the Maryland Pride 2.0 helmets for this game.

Flag Bearers: Running back Kenneth Goins Jr. will carry the American flag, and defensive lineman Roman Braglio will carry the Maryland state flag during Saturday’s introductions.

Game Captains: With the establishment of the leadship council, Edsall will name game captains prior to each contest. The captains for Saturday’s game against Ohio State are wide receiver Marcus Leak (offense), linebacker Cole Farrand (defense), and defensive back Anthony Nixon (special teams).

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