Ohio State football: It was “Only Maryland”
By Del Barris
I knew it would happen. I even predicted it was coming after the Ohio State football team blasted “Only Rutgers.” I said if they win this week in a blowout, Maryland will quickly become “Only Maryland.”
It was an easy prediction to make because the situations were so similar. Two weeks ago, praise was heaped on Michigan for hanging on to beat Rutgers by seven the week before OSU played them. The praise for Iowa was effusive after blowing out undefeated Maryland last week. But, somehow, Rutgers and Maryland became “Only” teams after being throttled by Ohio State. “Only Rutgers” and “Only Maryland.”
Look, I get it, people are tired of the Buckeyes. They’ve dominated the Big Ten for the last four seasons and were expected to do so again this year. Iowa, Michigan, and a few others in the conference having good seasons are a breath of fresh air to those who write and talk about college football.
They finally have someone to focus on other than the scarlet and gray juggernaut. Considering the struggles of this team through its first few games, I can even understand the skepticism of Buckeye fans. But, you can’t fall all over other teams for wins over Rutgers and Maryland, and then dismiss OSU’s wins by labeling these teams as “Only.”
This is not the same Ohio State team we saw just a few weeks ago. The offense looks to have put it all together. How dominant were they against Maryland? The Buckeyes did not punt. Iowa even punted four times against them, but Buckeye punter Jesse Mirco was not called on even once.
The defense, while still a work in progress, is not the complete liability it was. Against Maryland, they gave up just 335 yards, limited the Terrapins to five of fifteen on third down, and got five sacks. That is a marked improvement over what we had been seeing.
The Buckeyes get a week off before taking on Indiana. After looking like they were ready to challenge for the Big Ten East title coming out of the 2020 season, the Hoosiers have been a complete disappointment. They are 2-3 with their wins coming over Idaho and Western Kentucky.
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So, I’m sure if the Buckeyes hammer them, they’ll go from Indiana to “Only Indiana.” You know what? That’s fine. Let people continue to dismiss this Ohio State football team because they are ignoring or refusing to see this isn’t the same group that lost to Oregon.