COLUMBUS — Ohio State celebrated Homecoming Saturday during its game with Maryland, and Terps head coach D.J. Durkin was making a homecoming of sorts himself.

The second-year coach is from Youngstown and played outside linebacker at Bowling Green State University in the late 1990s and early 2000s, under current Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer. Durkin had two coaching stints at his alma mater, first as a graduate assistant in 2001-02 and then as an assistant coach in 2005-06.

This was the 11th time Meyer has faced one of his former assistants, going 9-1 in the previous meetings. Last year, the Buckeyes beat Maryland 62-3 in College Park, Md.

Last week, Meyer beat another of his former assistants when the Buckeyes topped Rutgers and former OSU assistant Chris Ash.

The last time a former Meyer assistant topped one of his teams was 2010, when Dan Mullen’s Mississippi State team beat Meyer’s Florida squad 10-7.

(NOT SO) SPECIAL TEAMS: Ohio State’s struggles with special teams continued Saturday, with Maryland returning a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown and blocking a field goal. The Buckeyes didn’t help themselves, either, when the second-half kickoff went out of bounds.

Ty Johnson’s kickoff return made it two straight years that the Buckeyes had given up a kickoff return for a score; Oklahoma’s Joe Mixon had a 97-yard return for a TD in last year’s game.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Saturday’s game marked the 95th anniversary of the first game played in Ohio Stadium. The Buckeyes beat Ohio Wesleyan 5-0 on Oct. 7, 1922.

The announced attendance for Saturday’s game was 107,180.

REVOLVING DOOR: Max Bortenschlager was the third quarterback to start for Maryland this season, and the Terps are the only FBS school to have three different QBs win a game this season.

When Bortenschlager took a hit to the head in the third quarter, Caleb Henderson became the fourth Maryland quarterback to see time this season.

YOU’RE OUTTA HERE: Speaking of the hit to Bortenschlager, defensive back Damon Arnette was ejected from the game for the hit. He was the second Buckeyes defensive back to be disqualified against Maryland after Denzel Ward was sent to the locker room after a hit in the first quarter.

First Published October 7, 2017, 11:42 p.m.