Game Preview: #6 Ohio State at Maryland
11/8/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The Maryland football program faces its second top-10 opponent in as many weeks as it welcomes No. 6 Ohio State to Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium for a 3:30 pm kickoff on ESPN.
Quick Hitters
- Maryland is set to meet the sixth-ranked Buckeyes for just the third time in history Saturday, including the second time in College Park. The game also marks the fourth time in history that Maryland will have faced top-10 opponents in back-to-back weeks (2005, 1997, 1989).
- Maryland head coach DJ Durkin has worked under Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer twice during his coaching career. Durkin was a graduate assistant under Meyer at Bowling Green in 2001 and 2002, before reuniting at Florida in 2010 when Durkin was the special teams coordinator and linebackers coach.
- Senior quarterback Perry Hills had one of the best performances in Maryland history against then-No. 1 Ohio State last season, rushing for a program quarterback record 170 yards and accounting for three touchdowns. The Terps were tied with Ohio State, 21-21, in the third quarter, before the top-ranked Buckeyes pulled away late in the game.
- Freshman running back Lorenzo Harrison is poised to break the Maryland freshman record for rushing yards (689) set by LaMont Jordan in 1997. Harrison currently has 633 yards on the season, and needs just 57 to break the record. The local DeMatha product has rushed for at least 60 yards in 8-of-9 games this season.
- Senior quarterback Perry Hills continues to lead the Big Ten Conference in completion percentage (67.4), while ranking second in passing efficiency (152.8). Hills currently ranks eighth in program history in touchdown passes (27) and 10th in total offensive yards (3,566).
Maryland Offense: By the Numbers
1 - The Terps are one of just two teams in the Big Ten (Iowa) with two rushers who have gained at least 630 yards in 2016, as sophomore Ty Johnson leads the way with 635 yards and freshman Lorenzo Harrison is just behind with 633. It marks the first time since 2010 (Davin Meggett - 720, Da'Rel Scott - 708) that Maryland has had two running backs with at least 630 yards in a season.
5 - True freshman running back Lorenzo Harrison scored a rushing touchdown against Michigan State for his fifth score of the season. It marks the most rushing touchdowns for a Maryland true freshman since Rick Badanjek totaled nine touchdowns in 1982.
7 - Sophomore Ty Johnson has made a habit of breaking loose for huge plays in conference play, totaling seven plays of at least 40 yards or more in six league games. Including a 66-yard rush most recently against Indiana, six of the seven big plays have been rushing attempts. Johnson averaged 10.9 yards on 13 carries against Indiana, becoming just the eighth player in Maryland history to average 10 yards/carry in a single game (min. 10 carries).
17 - Sophomore D.J. Moore currently leads all Maryland receivers with a reception in 17 consecutive games dating back to Oct. 3, 2015. It is the longest streak for a Terrapin receiver since Torrey Smith pieced together a 30-game streak from Nov. 6, 2008 to the final game of his career on Dec. 29, 2010. Moore has caught five touchdown passes this season - the most for a Maryland player since Stefon Diggs had five in 2014.
67.4 - Senior quarterback Perry Hills continues to lead the Big Ten Conference in completion percentage, completing passes at a 67.4 percent clip in 2016. The signal caller was 4-for-4 against No. 2 Michigan last weekend, before leaving the game in the second quarter due to injury. Hills currently ranks seventh in Maryland history in touchdowns responsible for (37), eighth in touchdown passes (27), 10th in total offensive yards (4,249), 12th in completions (289) and 13th in yards (3,566).
119 - Senior wide receiver Levern Jacobs' recent success has vaulted the veteran up Maryland's career receptions chart, passing Guilian Gary (1998-01) for eighth in history with 119 career catches. Jacobs also moved into 15th in career reception yards (1,364), most recently passing Frank Russell (1972-74). Jacobs has 27 catches over his last four games after opening the season with just three catches through five games.
367 - The Maryland offense accumulated 367 yards of total offense against No. 2 Michigan last weekend, marking the second-most yards against the Wolverine defense this season. Senior quarterback Caleb Rowe came in for the injured Perry Hills in the second quarter, and completed 12 passes for 203 yards.
633 - Freshman running back Lorenzo Harrison has totaled 633 rushing yards through his first nine games, and needs just 57 more yards to break LaMont Jordan's Maryland freshman record of 689 rushing yards set in 1997. For comparison's sake, Jordan had 466 rushing yards through his first nine games.
Maryland Defense/ST: By the Numbers
1 - The Terrapins are one of just three teams in the Big Ten Conference (Michigan, Indiana) with at least two blocked punts this season. Both blocks happened to be at the hands of Maryland's top running backs, with Ty Johnson blocking a punt against Howard and Lorenzo Harrison notching a block against Penn State.
5 - True freshman defensive back Quantrezz Knight made his first career start at Indiana in place of Darnell Savage Jr., who missed the game due to injury. Knight became the fifth true freshman to start for Maryland this season, joining Tyrrell Pigrome, Lorenzo Harrison, Terrance Davis and Tino Ellis. Harrison, Davis and Ellis are all products of nearby DeMatha Catholic High School.
5 - Senior defensive tackle Cavon Walker turned in one of the best games of his career against Indiana, totaling a career-high five tackles and 2.0 tackles for loss. Walker, who originally entered college as a 220-pound linebacker, now weighs in at 280 pounds. Junior Chandler Burkett also had a standout game, totaling a career-high nine tackles.
5.5 - Junior defensive lineman Jesse Aniebonam has taken full advantage of his opportunities for the Terps, ranking fifth in the Big Ten with 5.5 sacks (0.61/g). Aniebonam, is the cousin of former great New York Giants pass rusher Osi Umenyiora.
8.9 - Junior linebacker Shane Cockerille totaled six tackles against No. 2 Michigan to maintain his position as the Big Ten Conference's fourth-leading tackler with 8.9 tackles/game. Cockerille has continued to impress in his first season on the defensive side of the ball, totaling at least seven tackles in six of his last seven games.
9 - Senior cornerback Alvin Hill recorded a career-high nine tackles against the No. 2 Wolverines last Saturday, including seven solo stops. Hill is having his best season as a Terrapin this year, leading the team in both interceptions (2) and pass breakups (4). He is also the only defensive back to start in all nine games this season.
18.4 - The Terrapins' defensive special teams unit has been excellent this season, ranking third in the Big Ten in kickoff return defense (18.4 yards/KO) and fourth in punt return defense (5.0 yards/PR). Freshman punter Wade Lees has dropped 16 of his 44 punts (36%) inside the 20-yard line this season.
70 - Maryland's red zone defense continues to be a strong point, ranking sixth in the Big Ten Conference and 20th nationally. The Terrapins are holding opponents to points on just 70 percent (21-of-30) of their red zone chances.
204.2 - Maryland's pass defense currently ranks 30th in the nation, allowing just 204.2 passing yards/game. The Michigan Wolverines were the first team to pass for more than 300 yards against the Terrapins this season through nine games. In fact, the Terps have held 7-of-9 opponents under 250 passing yards. The pass defense has been much improved from last year's defense, which allowed five 300-yard passers in 12 games.
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