Ohio State's receiving workload will be entirely on Brandon Inniss, Bryson Rodgers and Mylan Graham vs. Rutgers.
Star wide receivers Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith are out against the Scarlet Knights. Freshman wide receiver Quincy Porter joins them. That leaves it all on the shoulders of Inniss, Rodgers and Graham.
Right guard Joshua Padilla is available for the first time in three weeks.
| OSU STATUS REPORT FOR PURDUE |
|---|
| Out |
|
DT Jarquez Carter DE Logan George S Malik Hartford WR De'zie Jones QB Mason Maggs WR Quincy Porter DT Maxwell Roy WR Carnell Tate WR Jeremiah Smith DT Ahmed Tounkara |
Tate misses his third straight game after suffering tightness in his lower body during pregame warmups for Ohio State's game against Purdue on Nov. 8. Ryan Day said he "probably" could have played in that contest, but the team decided to hold him out. Since then, he's stayed mum about both Tate and Smith's statuses, only saying this week that they are "working hard to get back on the field."
Smith was limited to three series last week against UCLA, then was spotted limping to Ohio State's locker room after the game. Julian Sayin didn't have the same connection with that Inniss, Rodgers, Graham trio as he did with Smith and/or Tate in the lineup. Sayin went just 8-of-14 for 46 yards, 3.3 per pass attempt after Smith's exit vs. the Bruins. This week will be intriguing to see what chemistry he's built with the next wave.
Padilla's return brings with it an interesting situation at right guard. Gabe VanSickle went on the rise in Padilla's absence as the new player spelling starter Tegra Tshabola vs. UCLA, and it became a true rotation as VanSickle ultimately played more snaps than Tshabola, 44 to 26. Tshabola still projects as a starter, but Day said on Tuesday that Ohio State doesn't want to rotate more than two right guards, so whether Padilla or VanSickle is the man rotating in should be telling.
Freshman running back Anthony "Turbo" Rogers, who has spent most of the season out with injury, is also available against the Scarlet Knights.
Ohio State kicks off against Rutgers at noon on FOX.
