Ohio State Hopeful Jaxon Smith-Njigba Will Practice This Week, Play Against Rutgers

Smith-Njigba missed his second game in three weeks, but the Buckeyes still rolled over Wisconsin on Saturday night.

Author:
Andrew Lind
Sep 25, 2022 2:11 AM EDT

In this story:

Ohio State junior wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba did not play in Saturday’s 52-21 win over Wisconsin, marking his second absence in three games as he continues to recover from the hamstring injury he suffered in the season opener against Notre Dame.

Of course, injuries of that nature are tricky and can linger, and the Buckeyes will have to be cautious. But head coach Ryan Day is hopeful that Smith-Njigba will be able to practice this week and then suit up against Rutgers on Oct. 1, which marks last in a string five straight home games to open the season.

“We just decided to kind of shut him down for this game,” Day said during his postgame press conference. “We’ll kind of get him going on Tuesday and, hopefully, we can make some progress and get to see him play next week.”

Even without Smith-Njigba, the Buckeyes rolled over the Badgers behind five touchdown passes by quarterback C.J. Stroud, including two apiece to sophomore wide receiver Emeka Egbuka and redshirt junior tight end Cade Stover and one to junior wide receiver Julian Fleming.

“We built that chemistry with Cade, Emeka, Marvin (Harrison Jr.),” Stroud said. “Really, everyone who touched the ball did a great job.”

Ohio State also found some balance on offense, as running backs TreVeyon Henderson (21 carries for 121 yards) and Miyan Williams (11 carries for 101 yards and two touchdowns) both topped the 100-yard mark on Saturday night.

The Buckeyes won’t need Smith-Njigba to play against the Scarlet Knights, who will come to Columbus as massive underdogs, so getting him healthy will be the staff’s top priority. But if he is available, it will make an already unstoppable offense even more dangerous.

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