Ohio State-Maryland: run defense, a depleted secondary and Jeremiah Smith’s Heisman push headline Columbus

Ohio State hosts Maryland on October 8, 2026, in a matchup that, on paper, is not designed to be competitive. According to Yahoo Sports’ preview, the Buckeyes are listed as 34.5-point favorites, and Ohio State has never lost to Maryland in the series. The betting-line angle may be the easy part of the story, but it does not explain why this game can still matter for the way Ohio State defends the run, manages the health of its back end, and uses its top offensive weapon in the national conversation.

Maryland enters Columbus with a difficult start to Big Ten play. The preview places the Terrapins at 2-3 overall and 0-2 in conference after back-to-back blowout losses. That matters because early-season blowouts often reshape how teams are coached the next week, especially in terms of defensive urgency and offensive risk tolerance. For Ohio State, it creates a clearer roadmap: play assignment football, establish control early, and force Maryland into situations where it cannot lean on its preferred rhythm for long stretches.

The first major “what to watch” item is Ohio State’s run defense. The Yahoo preview identifies stopping the ground game as a key factor, a point that goes beyond simply preventing chunk plays. If Ohio State can win on early downs, it can shorten the game for its offense by keeping Maryland’s defense from settling in and it can also avoid extended drives that test a secondary that the preview characterizes as banged up.

The second focus is the condition and readiness of Ohio State’s defensive backfield. The preview flags a “banged-up secondary,” which suggests the Buckeyes may be without ideal depth or timing in coverage. In practical terms, the risk in any secondary that is missing its standard pieces is not just what happens on the first big play, but what happens after it. Once a defense is forced to rotate personnel or adjust communication, quarterbacks can exploit new leverage quickly, particularly on routes designed to isolate mismatches.

Offensively, the spotlight point in the Yahoo preview is Jeremiah Smith and his Heisman chase. Smith’s presence in that framing indicates he is expected to be a central figure in Ohio State’s production, at least enough to be part of the weekly national narrative. Even in games expected to be one-sided, how a high-usage playmaker is targeted and how Ohio State designs touches around him can reveal whether the Buckeyes are treating the matchup like a routine week or building toward larger goals as the season progresses.

Maryland’s situation also adds context to how to interpret the game. With the Terrapins already 0-2 in Big Ten play and coming off back-to-back blowouts, the program’s immediate priority will likely be limiting mistakes and preventing the kind of defensive lapses that turn a manageable deficit into a rout. For Ohio State, that means the most important early stretch may be the one where the Buckeyes try to sustain pressure without getting distracted by the scoreboard. Big favorites sometimes lose games they are not supposed to lose by letting the opponent hang around just long enough to create momentum.

As the game unfolds, Ohio State’s run-defense effectiveness and the way its secondary handles coverage reps will be the clearest early indicators of whether the Buckeyes’ game plan matches the moment. If Smith’s role expands while Ohio State controls field position with disciplined defense, this becomes more than a blowout script. It becomes a template for how the Buckeyes want to play when they face tougher, more methodical opponents later in the Big Ten schedule. If the secondary issues show up early, the Buckeyes may need to simplify defensive responsibilities and lean harder on front-line pressure to keep big plays out of reach.