Ohio State's TreVeyon Henderson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba Unavailable At Northwestern
Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson, wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and cornerback Cameron Brown are among the 12 players unavailable for Saturday's game at Northwestern (12 p.m. on ABC).
This marks the second missed game of the season for Henderson, who suffered a foot injury in the win over Toledo and was held out of the victory over Rutgers two weeks later as the injury lingered. The Buckeyes did not give a reason for his absence against the Wildcats, however.
Luckily for Ohio State, redshirt sophomore Miyan Williams will be available after leaving last weekend’s win over Penn State after he got caught up in the first-down chains along the sideline. He was spotted on the sideline with his hand in the cast and ice on his knee, but appears to be full-go this week.
“Losing Miyan certainly had an effect on us, but (we’re) looking forward to having him back this week,” head coach Ryan Day said during his radio show this week.
Henderson’s injury could mean extended playing time for freshman Dallan Hayden or junior Chip Trayanum, who moved over from linebacker in recent weeks to give some depth to the position.
“He’s learned the offense,” Day said of Trayanum. “He was ready to go in the game on Saturday if we needed him.”
Smith-Njigba, meanwhile, will be unavailable for the sixth time this season and second game in a row as he deals with a lingering hamstring injury. The Buckeyes are hopeful he’ll be able to return at some point this season, though, especially since they're on track for a lengthy postseason run.
“I know, as a competitor, he’s frustrated and wants to get back,” wide receivers coach Brian Hartline said on Tuesday. “(I have a) huge level of confidence (that he’ll be back).”
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Additionally, Brown will be sidelined for the fifth time in six games after leaving the win over the Rockets with an undisclosed injury, while seventh-year senior long snapper Bradley Robinson is expected to miss the rest of the season with a knee injury suffered in the win over Iowa.
Redshirt freshman Mason Arnold will get the start in Robinson’s place for the second week in a row, but classmate Max Lomonico also made the trip to Evanston to provide some depth at long snapper, which is one of the most undervalued positions on the team.
“It’s a little nerve-racking having your long snapper going into that environment in State College for his first game,” Day said. “I can’t tell you I slept very well the night before, but (Arnold) executed very well and got his black stripe off. He earned it.”
That said, the full list of players who are unavailable for Saturday’s game at Northwestern can be seen below:
Ohio State Availability Report Vs. Northwestern
Unavailable:
• Fifth-year senior wide receiver Kamryn Babb
• Fifth-year senior cornerback Cameron Brown
• Freshman running back T.C. Caffey
• Sophomore running back TreVeyon Henderson
• Fifth-year senior cornerback Lloyd McFarquhar
• Redshirt sophomore defensive end Mitchell Melton
• Redshirt freshman linebacker Jalen Pace
• Redshirt freshman running back Evan Pryor
• Seventh-year senior long snapper Bradley Robinson
• Redshirt freshman running back Cayden Saunders
• Junior wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba
• Redshirt sophomore safety Kourt Williams
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