Urban Meyer Hoping Matchup With Maryland Can Serve As A Breakthrough Game For Ohio State

By Tim Shoemaker on October 8, 2015 at 8:35 am
Urban Meyer strolls the sidelines.
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Urban Meyer is looking for something, anything to jumpstart his team.

Ohio State’s head coach is hoping Saturday’s game against Maryland is exactly that.

“We’re rocking a little bit, we’re teetering,” Meyer said following Wednesday’s practice. “We need something, someone somehow to push us over, break the rock as I keep telling them.”

How exactly does one ‘break the rock,' though?

“There’s not silly signs or slogans,” Meyer said. “It’s elbow grease and hard work. I’m watching that very closely. They’re doing a good job.”

The game against the Terrapins seems like it is coming at the perfect time for the No. 1-ranked Buckeyes, who are 5-0 but have turned in a couple of less-than-impressive victories over the first month of the season.

Ohio State is coming off a narrow 34-27 escape at Indiana last weekend in which the Buckeyes’ defense had to get a final stand at the end of the game to preserve the victory. Maryland, however, was shutout at home last weekend by Michigan, 28-0. The Terrapins are 2-3 and have been outscored 73-6 over the last two games.

“We’re rocking a little bit, we’re teetering. We need something, someone somehow to push us over, break the rock as I keep telling them.”– Urban Meyer

It seems like the ideal opportunity for Ohio State to get itself rolling again.

“That’s definitely something we’re waiting for,” junior running back Ezekiel Elliott said. “Every week we’re trying to get better. I feel it coming soon.”

Meyer singled out last season's game in College Park as a key moment in the Buckeyes' season. It was a road game starting at noon against a team Ohio State had never played before. 

It was a prime chance for a letdown, Meyer said, but one didn't take place as the Buckeyes cruised to a 52-24 blowout victory.

"That was one of the best games we played last year," Meyer said. "It was a turning point."

The struggles are part of a team’s journey, the Buckeyes will tell you. It’s never going to be perfect and it shouldn’t be expected to be.

When asked about that gradual progression of a season Wednesday, Elliott offered up an interesting perspective. It’s all about the steady climb for a college football team. There are going to be steps backward, but as long as those don’t frequently happen, things should be all right for Ohio State to get where it wants to be at the end of the season.

“The way we progressed last year was just perfect. You never want to peak too early in the season; you want to peak right at the perfect time,” he said. “That’s what happened last year and if you look at the team at this time last year we were probably at just about the same place if not behind.”

Ohio State is hoping for another step in that progression Saturday, preferably one in the right direction.

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