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Ohio State to be without 2 starting receivers against Rutgers, per report
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Ohio State will be without 2 starting wide receivers on Saturday as the No. 1 Buckeyes face off against Rutgers. Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate are both being held out as Smith deals with a “nagging issue” that took him out of last week’s game against UCLA and as Tate works his way back from a lower-body injury suffered against Purdue.
In other words, expect a lot of Brandon Inniss, Max Klare and Bryson Rodgers against the Scarlet Knights. ESPN’s Pete Thamel first reported the news on Saturday morning.
Obviously, this is pretty big news for the Buckeyes. Smith and Tate have totaled a combined 1,613 receiving yards this season, which accounts for well over half of all Ohio State’s total receiving production. The next leading receiver for Ohio State is tight end Klare, who sits at 15 receptions for just under 300 yards.
It certainly helps the Buckeyes that Rutgers has seen some poor passing defense, which stems from Rutgers’ inability to get to the quarterback in pass rush. The Scarlet Knights have just 10 sacks on the season, so quarterback Julian Sayin will have plenty of time to work in the pocket and find open receivers.
Ohio State’s matchup against Rutgers will kick off at Noon on Fox.
Ethan Stone was an editor for his student newspaper at the University of Tennessee and is now a News Manager for Saturday Tradition.