Ohio State will be without junior defensive end Zach Harrison and 12 other players for its game against visiting Tulsa on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET; FS1). Also, senior linebacker Teradja Mitchell is a game-time decision. Three hours before each game, the Buckeyes release a status report that simply lists players who are unavailable or will be game-time decisions. The program does not specify why the players are listed, so it is unclear at this time why Harrison is not playing.
Another new name on the unavailable list is third-year sophomore running back Marcus Crowley who appeared to suffer a head injury against Oregon last week. Crowley had been the fourth-string running back, but had been a mainstay on special teams (he got hurt on special teams).
Also, junior center Harry Miller remains out for unspecified reasons (although head coach Ryan Day said Miller is not dealing with an injury or COVID).
Here is the full status report:
UNAVAILABLE
WR Kamryn Babb
DE Tyler Friday
OL Jakob James
BUL Jaylen Johnson
OL Trey Leroux
DL Noah Potter
SAF Josh Proctor
OL Ryan Smith
OL Toby Wilson
GAME-TIME DECISION
What this means for the Buckeyes
It means J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer are going to have a much bigger role this week. Harrison had been struggling, save for one huge sack-fumble against Minnesota, and we will see if the true freshmen are ready for prime time. Or, at least ready for 3:30.
I’ve been impressed with Tuimoloau so far. Even with his incredible talent, I thought it would take him some time to acclimate to the college game since he arrived at Ohio State so late. But during the few snaps he has been out there in the first two games, he played well. He certainly does not look out of place at all.
Frankly, I expected more out of Sawyer thus far, but it is not like he has played very much. That should change today and it will be interesting to see what he can bring to the Buckeyes’ anemic pass rush.
The one guy who really needs to step up today and for the rest of the season is senior DE Tyreke Smith. I expected a lot out of him this year after he played so well against Northwestern and Clemson last year (missed the national championship game against Alabama for something COVID related). Smith has not performed well through the first two games. He needs to play at a first-team All-Big Ten level for this defense and he’s not even close to that yet. It’s a long season though and I’m confident he will get better.
At center, redshirt freshman Luke Wypler will get his third straight start and I’m not sure he’s going to give the gig up even after Miller returns. Wypler has played well for the most part, especially given his age and lack of experience. He could end up being a four-year starter for the Buckeyes.
As for Mitchell, we are told he was a late addition to the status report, which means he is likely dealing with some sort of injury or illness. The last thing OSU can afford is injuries at linebacker, which is a group that has not performed well the first two weeks.
