Not even a broken wrist was keeping Tommy Schutt, one time a Penn State commit, from playing against the Nittany Lions. It was too important a moment for him and his Ohio State teammates.
"It was his decision to do the best he could," Urban Meyer said Monday. "Obviously, a big game. He wanted to play in it, and he did very well. Really impressed with what's happened to Tommy Schutt. He's been a guy that under achieved for a while."
Meyer, who said they found out about Schutt's injury in the "middle of last week," graded the senior defensive tackle as a champion for his performance in Ohio State's 38-10 victory against Penn State Saturday. Schutt notched a sack of Christian Hackenberg for one of his two tackles against the Nittany Lions, playing the entire game with a cast and club on his right wrist.
"He should be back in a couple of weeks. He's out for this game (at Rutgers)," Meyer said. "Hope to get him back. He played very well. Had a sack and a tackle for a loss. This was all with a broken bone in his wrist."
Schutt's career at Ohio State's been riddled with injuries, but he pushed through his latest one to help the Buckeyes down Penn State.
"Love to see a guy come out and battle. He really hasn't complained about it at all. It's pretty annoying having that big club on his arm, of course," defensive end Joey Bosa said Monday. "I'm happy that he got out there and played well himself."
“I think our backups, Joel Hale and Mike Hill at nose guard, have been playing well and we've got a freshman, Robert Landers, who's going to come up and help us. I think they've been playing solid, they're doing their job, they're making plays. I don't think we're worried at all.”– Joey Bosa on Ohio State DL depth
So who's next? Schutt's inhabited the nose guard position in Ohio State's defense through the first seven games, taking on blockers to open lanes for guys like Adolphus Washington, Raekwon McMillan and others to make plays. His 20 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in 2015 all trump the numbers from his previous three seasons combined (17 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, no sacks).
His absence will be something to watch this Saturday night at Rutgers, but Bosa's confident in the guys behind Schutt to step in and contribute.
"I think our backups, Joel Hale and Mike Hill at nose guard, have been playing well and we've got a freshman, Robert Landers, who's going to come up and help us," Bosa said. "I think they've been playing solid, they're doing their job, they're making plays. I don't think we're worried at all."
Meyer added Donovan Munger's name to the list of potential replacements Tuesday on the Big Ten teleconference. Landers' name popped up on the team's depth chart for the first time all season Tuesday.
Hale, a redshirt senior coming off a calf injury suffered in spring practice, has nine tackles this season. Hill is a redshirt sophomore who's played more this season than he ever has before in his Ohio State career and has six tackles in 2015. Landers has yet to see any action in 2015.
The bodies are there, but their production hasn't been on the same level as Schutt's, who typically is taken out of the game on third down or passing situations so Ohio State can get its best pass rushers on the field at the same time as part of its "Rushmen" package.
Schutt isn't the only noticeable defensive loss from the Penn State win, however. Senior linebacker Joshua Perry left the game early with a sprained ankle, and though he should be fine for Saturday, is another member added to an already lengthy Ohio State injury report.
Bosa noted how when Perry left the game he didn't sense any panic from the defense that you might expect when a leader goes down. Ohio State's bye week comes after the Rutgers game, a good time to get not only Schutt, but others guys healthy, too.
As long as the Buckeyes can deal with the Scarlet Knights, a needed break is coming.
"Of course, it sucks to lose Tommy, but he'll be back and I think we'll be good inside," Bosa said.
