by Ohio State’s running back room has gotten healthier over the past week, but the Buckeyes won’t have their full stable available against Maryland.
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OSU STATUS REPORT FOR MARYLAND |
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| NOT AVAILABLE |
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RB MIYAN WILLIAMS |
Regular starter TreVeyon Henderson is back after a two-game injury layoff as he is not listed among the nine unavailable Buckeyes for Saturday’s matchup. Chip Trayanum, who was ruled out from last week’s Indiana game, also appears healthy enough to play Maryland.
But the Buckeyes will still be short-handed at the position since Miyan Williams was ruled out last week after suffering a second-quarter injury. Williams was kicked off the field after an injury that left him unable to put weight on his right leg, although Ryan Day said afterwards he didn’t expect the problem to be “really long-term”. Williams rushed for 147 yards and a touchdown with 15 carries before leaving the game.
Ohio State was down to one healthy grantee running back (true freshman Dallan Hayden) in the second half against Indiana, though Hayden and Xavier Johnson – who slipped off a wide receiver – rushed for a combined 173 yards and two points on 20 carries. One or both of them could still see snaps on Saturday but the Buckeyes will have more depth in position this week than last time.
Also unavailable for Ohio State Saturday is junior wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who has now missed eight of the Buckeyes’ 11 games this season as he deals with a hamstring injury. When asked Thursday if Day still expects the record-breaking Buckeye to come back this season, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said, “I wouldn’t say I expect, I’d probably rather hope.”
If Smith-Njigba is set to return during the regular season, it must be during next week’s rivalry game as the Texas native will not play in Saturday’s matchup against Maryland.
Several other notable Buckeyes eliminated from last week’s competition appear healthy for Saturday’s game. Neither Dawand Jones as a starting right tackle nor starting cornerback Denzel Burke were listed on Ohio State’s status report for Maryland, though both missed the game in Indiana.
Buckeye captain Kamryn Babb will be available at wide receiver for the second straight week, fresh from his first career reception in last week’s game, which included a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Ohio State and Maryland begin at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at College Park.
