COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State could start its final home game of the regular season without its full offensive team.
Coach Ryan Day didn't rule out star receivers Jeremy Smith and Carnell Tate for this weekend when the top-ranked Buckeyes host Rutgers, but he also didn't want to go into detail about their availability.
The same goes for Josh Padilla, the reserve forward who was playing at right guard before suffering an undisclosed injury and missing the last two games.
“Our policy is that we don't discuss the details of injuries, and once you start going down a little here, a little there, you can create a problem,” Day said Tuesday. “For a number of reasons, we don't discuss these things. We put out a report on game day, but I can tell you they're in great spirits. The medical staff is working hard. We'll take it day by day and see how they do every day, but they're working hard to get back on the field.”
Tate has missed the last two games with an undiagnosed injury. The Chicago junior still ranks fifth in the Big Ten with 88.9 rushing yards per game.
He was listed as out on Saturday's pregame availability report as the Buckeyes (10-0, 7-0) beat UCLA 48-10.
Smith was listed as questionable but ended up starting the game and made an acrobatic one-handed catch along the sideline on the opening drive.
The sophomore caught four passes for 40 yards in the first half and did not play in the second after he was seen limping late in the first. Day did not reveal what he was dealing with other than to describe it as “something excruciating” on Saturday.
Asked Tuesday if Smith did anything to make the situation worse, Day said, “I don't know about that.”
Smith leads the Big Ten and ranks third in the country with 10 touchdown catches, ranking third in the Big Ten in receiving yards per game (90.2) and second in catches per game (6.9).
“Just so you understand, we're testing every day, we're taking the advice of the medical staff, we're taking their feedback and we're moving forward,” Day said.
Brandon Inniss started in Tate's place and led Ohio State with six passes for 30 yards against the Bruins, while tight end Max Clair caught five passes for 26 yards.
The 5-5 Scarlet Knights are looking to beat Ohio State for the first time in their 11th try since joining the Big Ten in 2014.
After that, the Buckeyes will travel to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to resume one of the most bitter rivalries in the country.
The 18th-ranked Wolverines (8-2, 6-1) have won the last four games of their series with Ohio State and remain hopeful of reaching the College Football Playoff and the Big Ten championship game.
Day, who led the Buckeyes to a win over Michigan in his first season as head coach in 2019, wasn't asked about the Wolverines on Tuesday, but he did talk about wanting to not dwell on the past, whether it be in regards to the Buckeyes' struggles with the Wolverines or them being the defending national champions.
“I just know what we need to focus on right now, that’s all,” Day said. “There are lessons to be learned from the past, but at the end of the day, everyone has to be focused on that right now. I think it's the coaches' job to be at their best, the players' job to be at their best right now, and we'll use what happened in the past as lessons, but at the end of the day, most of those things don't impact this team specifically.”
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