Ohio State Returns to Ohio Stadium for Homecoming
10/5/2026 5:41:00 PM | Football
The Buckeyes will look to extend their home winning streak to 12 games in a row.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State is set to begin its 2026 Big Ten schedule today against Maryland.
Kickoff is set for 4:15 p.m., airing on Big Ten Network.
SETTING THE SCENE
Kickoff is set for 4:15 p.m., airing on Big Ten Network.
SETTING THE SCENE
- Ohio State returns home and look to extend their home winning streak to 12 games.
- The Buckeyes are looking for their 10th win in the series holding a perfect 9-0-0 record all-time.
- This marks just the fifth time that Ohio State has played Maryland in the Day era, winning by a combined 219-78 in the previous four games.
- The Buckeyes are 490-115-20 all-time in Ohio Stadium.
- Ohio State's 159 wins at home since 2000 are nine more than any other program in the country.
- Ohio State goes into Saturday with 47 wins at home since the start of the 2019 season. That is the most wins by any team in that stretch.
- Since entering college football in 2024, Jeremiah Smith leads all players in receptions (207), receiving yards (3,381) and receiving touchdowns (36).
- In the first five games, Smith had 44 catches for 823 yds and nine TDs. He has played 16 quarters this season, averaging 2.75 catches, 51.4 yds and 0.56 TDs per quarter. That pace puts him at 121 catches, 2,262 yds and 25 TDs at the end of the regular season.
- Smith goes into Saturday needing 408 yards and four touchdowns to break the Big Ten records.
- If he goes over 100 yards on Saturday, he will pass Marvin Harrison Jr. for the most career 100-yard games in program history, marking the 16th time he has done so in his career.
- Smith — who had eight catches for 150 yards and three TDs in the first half vs. Illinois — also became the third receiver since 2015 from a Power Four conference to have at least three games with at least 150 receiving yards and two touchdowns in one half. DeVonta Smith had four at Alabama and Ja'Marr Chase did it three times at LSU.
- Julian Sayin is the most accurate quarterback in program history with a career completion percentage of 75.0 pct. which also would be an NCAA record (min. 875 attempts).
- Additionally, Sayin has thrown for 46 touchdowns in his career which ranks 10th in program history.
- His nine 300-yd passing games are also tied for the second most in program history.
- He currently sits at 5,224 career yards and needs 172 yards to move into the top 10 in program history in career yards.
- Maryland will be head coach Ryan Day's 63rd Big Ten game in his tenure as head coach (wins vs. Rutgers as acting head coach in 2018 included).
- Day's Buckeyes are 57-5 in the previous 62 Big Ten game including a 29-2 record in road Big Ten games. Additionally, Ohio State is 41-1 against opponents who were unranked in Big Ten play during his tenure.
- Day's teams are 23-1 in the month of October and 7-1 against ranked opponents during the month. Additionally, Ohio State is 12-0 at home in October contests.
- In Day's 62-game Big Ten tenure, Ohio State has averaged 40.0 points per game while allowing just 15.1 points per game to their opponents.
- This season, Maryland has started the season 2-3, including wins over Hampton and UConn to start the season.
- Since the 2-0 start, the Terrapins have lost three in a row to Virginia Tech, UCLA and Nebraska.
- Since the start of the 2019 season, Maryland holds the best winning percentage in the country in non-conference play, going 22-2 (.917).
- Chris Durr Jr. has recorded at least six receptions in each of his five games this season. Only one Maryland players have had longer streaks this century: Tai Felton, with six straight games in 2024.
- Durr ranks second in the nation, trailing just Jeremiah Smith with 8.4 receptions per game and his 42 total receptions also rank second nationally behind Smith.
- Durr also ranks top 20 nationally with 92.2 receiving yards per game and four receiving touchdowns. Both marks are also top five in the Big Ten.
- Led by quarterback Malik Washington, the Terrapins rank 30th nationally and fifth in the Big Ten with 277.2 yards passing per game. Individually, Washington has thrown for 1,288 yards so far this season which is 21st in the country and fifth in the Big Ten.
- On the defensive side of the ball, Maryland has a strong pass rush, ranking 22nd nationally and third in the Big Ten with 2.80 sacks per game. On the flipside, the Terrapins only give up 1.2 sacks per game which is 33rd in the country.
- On special teams, punter Bryce McFerson is top-25 in yards per punt and was selected as a 2025 Second Team All-Big Ten honoree and a 2026 Ray Guy Watch List member.
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