Saturday, November 14, 2020, Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium, College Park, Maryland, 3:30 p.m. ET
Buckeyes at Terrapins Betting Preview: Buckeyes (-25), Terrapins (+25)
Ohio State Buckeyes Betting Preview
No. 3 Ohio State (3-0, 3-0 Big Ten) continues to march toward another conference crown, but coach Ryan Day wants even more from his Buckeyes, who he thought let up in their 49-27 win over Rutgers last week after building a 35-3 halftime lead.
“We’re 3-0. We’re playing good football,” Day said. “We’ve got a lot of really good players on the team. We came out and played really well in the first half, but we’re critical. That’s a good thing. We want perfection, and we’re looking for greatness.”
The Buckeyes are pounding foes by an average of 23.3 points per game, and they have a Heisman Trophy candidate in quarterback Justin Fields, who had five touchdown passes against Rutgers and for the season is responsible for more touchdowns (13) than incompletions (11).
The Ohio State defense leads the Big Ten with nine sacks in three games, three by defensive tackle Tommy Togiai. Six other players have at least half a sack.
The Buckeyes have averaged nearly 209 yards a game rushing, but are still are looking for consistency running the ball. They’re strong — and that’s an understatement — up front on both sides of the ball.
Maryland Terrapins Betting Preview
The Terrapins (2-1, 2-1 Big Ten) haven’t fared well against the Big Ten’s upper crust since joining the conference in 2014, going 3-16 against Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State. Before knocking off the Nittany Lions last week, the Terps’ average margin of defeat in such contests was more than 30 points a game.
But the Terps have shown some offensive firepower this season with sophomore Taulia Tagovailoa making things happen with his arm and legs.
Tagovailoa has amassed six touchdown passes and two rushing scores the past two games. Freshman Rakim Jarrett had two long scoring receptions to key the upset at Penn State.
“I like the way these guys have gone about their business,” Maryland coach Mike Locksley said of his team’s progress. “They’re buying into everything we’re asking of them as coaches, but we’ve still got some things to get cleaned up. I think we haven’t played our best football just yet.”
Maryland also has eight sacks, though seven of those came Saturday in the Terps defense’s best showing at Penn State. The elusive Fields won’t be as easy to find and take down.
Buckeyes at Terrapins Betting Pick for November 14, 2020
Ohio State beat the Terps 73-14 last year with Fields passing for 200 yards and three touchdowns and running back Master Teague III rushing for 111 yards. But a lot of players on both sides still remember the Buckeyes’ last trip to College Park in what turned into one of the best games of 2018. Ohio State survived 52-51 in overtime.
Buckeyes at Terrapins Betting Pick:
Buckeyes 52, Terrapins 24
Buckeyes at Terrapins Best Bet for November 14, 2020
The Terps have yielded 106 points in just three games, and the Buckeyes have shown little mercy in steamrolling their foes with an average of 46.3 points per game. Maryland’s offense (27.7 points a game) could present some problems with Tagovailoa’s versatility.
Buckeyes at Terrapins Best Bet: OVER 72.5
