COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Jeremiah Smith scored touchdowns on his first two touches to enhance his Heisman Trophy profile and Julian Sayin had four TD passes as No. 5 Ohio State warmed up for a brutal stretch of games with a sometimes-messy 45-16 win over Maryland on Saturday.
Smith turned two short catches into dazzling scores, and Sayin connected with tight ends Nate Roberts and Mason Williams for TDs as the Buckeyes (5-1, 3-0 Big Ten) opened a 31-10 halftime lead despite some sloppy moments.
Smith had a season-low four catches for 93 yards, but the sensational wide receiver made the most of his chances. He already owns every major Ohio State record and now has 38 career receiving TDs, one shy of the Big Ten record.
The game was the 100th at Ohio State for coach Ryan Day, who improved to 87-13.
His Buckeyes will have to play much better in the weeks ahead. They'll visit No. 7 Indiana next Saturday and No. 19 Southern California on Oct. 31 before hosting No. 13 Oregon on Nov. 7 — a three-game stretch that could define their season.
The Terrapins (2-4, 0-3) lost their third straight game, but they capitalized on Ohio State mistakes to hang around.
Maryland linebacker Daniel Wingate picked off a deflected Sayin pass and returned it 51 yards for a TD in the third quarter to pull Maryland within 31-16, sending a shiver through an Ohio State crowd that thinned out considerably at halftime.
But the Buckeyes regrouped and put Maryland away on the ground with Bo Jackson scoring on runs of 25 and 2 yards.
Smith showed why he's considered college football's best player in the first half.
He gave the Buckeyes a 7-0 lead by snatching a short pass and breaking a tackle before bolting down the right sideline for a 33-yard TD.
The Terrapins benefitted from four defensive penalties against Ohio State to pull to 14-10 on QB Malik Washington's 5-yard run in the second quarter.
But Smith helped restore order with his 11th TD in three weeks, and he later made a jaw-dropping one-handed grab before Sayin found Williams with 24 seconds left before halftime.
Maryland: The Terps fell to 0-10 against Ohio State. While not having any real answer for Smith, they took advantage of numerous Buckeyes' miscues.
Ohio State: Did what it needed to do, but the Buckeyes didn't play up to their lofty standards. Day has plenty to gripe about this week.
Maryland: Host Rutgers on Oct. 17.
Ohio State: Begin the gauntlet against the Hoosiers, who nipped the Buckeyes 13-10 in last season's Big Ten championship.
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