Julian Sayin threw four first-half touchdown passes, two to Jeremiah Smith, and No. 5 Ohio State downed visiting Maryland 45-16 in Columbus on Saturday.
Sayin passed for 203 yards in the first 30 minutes as the Buckeyes (5-1, 3-0 Big Ten) took a 31-10 halftime lead, but a 52-yard pick-six by Daniel Wingate pulled Maryland (2-4, 0-3) to 31-16 with 5:12 left in the third quarter.
Bo Jackson’s 25-yard TD run 2 1/2 minutes later made it 38-16 and sealed the Terrapins’ fourth consecutive loss. Jackson added a 2-yard rushing score in the fourth quarter as part of his 23-carry, 107-yard day on the ground.
Sayin finished 13-for-21 for 242 yards. Smith had four catches for 93 yards.
Smith’s first TD, the 37th of his career, tied Michigan’s Anthony Carter for second all-time in the Big Ten. The second one moved Smith one behind record-holder Braylon Edwards of Michigan.
Smith made the most of his limited opportunities in the first half with three catches for 81 yards, his lowest first-half totals this season.
Yet, it was his non-TD catch that had the crowd buzzing. After a fake punt gave the Buckeyes the ball at the Maryland 44-yard line, they faced third-and-4 from the 21 when Smith made a sensational 8-yard catch, reaching behind and making a one-handed grab, for a first down to the Terps 13-yard line.
That led to a 1-yard TD catch by Mason Williams for a 31-10 lead with 24 seconds left in the second quarter. The touchdown ended Ohio State’s streak of scoring in the final 15 seconds of the first half in the first five games.
Smith’s two early touchdowns helped quell the pesky Terrapins. He was not targeted on the Buckeyes’ first possession, but the first time he and Sayin did connect, the pass went for a 33-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead just over six minutes into the game.
His second reception was a 40-yard catch-and-run on his second target to make the score 21-10 with 8:32 remaining before halftime.
Maryland QB Malik Washington was 12 of 25 for 64 yards.
