Ohio State will be without Julian Fleming and Jaxon Smith-Njigba against Arkansas State on Saturday.
Fleming and Smith-Njigba were listed as game-time decisions for the Buckeyes' matchup with the Red Wolves. Both went through stretches on the field while the rest of the team walked through the Skull Session. However, they returned to the turf in street clothes as the other players participated in warmups.
Smith-Njigba suffered a hamstring injury in the first quarter of the season opener against Notre Dame that will keep him from playing in this game. Fleming did not play against the Fighting Irish despite participating in warmups.
| OHIO STATE STATUS REPORT FOR ARKANSAS STATE |
|---|
| GAME-TIME DECISION |
|
WR JULIAN FLEMING WR JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA |
| UNAVAILABLE |
|
RB EVAN PRYOR CB LLOYD MCFARQUHAR DE MITCHELL MELTON CB JORDAN HANCOCK WR KAMRYN BABB |
Ryan Day said this week he doesn't expect Smith-Njigba's injury to be long-term.
“I leave it up to the doctors and the medical professionals, but yeah, we will not bring him back if there's any risk of him getting hurt further for the future,” Day said Tuesday. “We'll make sure he's 100% before we put him back in the game.”
Jaxon Smith-Njigba seems to be moving gingerly on his injured leg coming off the practice field at OSU, but is wearing full pads.
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) September 7, 2022
Ryan Day says the Buckeyes wont risk future injury if JSN isnt at 100%. pic.twitter.com/xo3mSY1OlQ
Day was hopeful Fleming, who might have started Week 1 had he been healthy, would return to the fold in Week 2.
"He went through warmups and he was close. And it tore his heart out not to be in this game (against Notre Dame)," Day said. "Had an unbelievable offseason, did a really good job this preseason. Tweaked something leading up to the game, and so we're hoping to have him back on Saturday."
Ohio State will be without Kamryn Babb on Saturday as he has been ruled out of action while recovering from a preseason knee injury. Babb wasn't on last week's status report, but Emeka Egbuka said Wednesday that Ohio State knew the Buckeye captain wouldn't be available ahead of time.
OSU WR Kam Babb still wearing a knee brace as he walks off the practice field today.
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) September 7, 2022
The Buckeye captain didnt play against Notre Dame, but isnt expected to miss the season. pic.twitter.com/a0Aeae8KPR
Also unavailable for the Buckeyes is second-year cornerback Jordan Hancock, who dealt with a leg injury early in the preseason and only played on special teams against the Fighting Irish. Hancock entered the season projected as the Buckeyes' No. 3 cornerback behind starters Denzel Burke and Cameron Brown.
