Both Buckeyes stars have had their practices limited while dealing with lower body injuries. Wide receivers are expected to be listed as questionable on the Big Ten availability report, but the expectation is that they are available to play barring anything unexpected in warmups.
Smith missed last week’s win over Rutgers after suffering an injury against UCLA on November 15, when he was seen limping off the field.
Tate has not played since November 1, as he was held out of the Purdue game on November 8 because he suffered some discomfort during warmups and was “a little tight”, coach Ryan Day said at the time.
Smith, a sophomore, is considered perhaps the best all-around player in the country. He has 69 catches for 902 yards and 10 touchdowns. Despite missing the Rutgers game, he is still tied for the Big Ten lead in touchdown receptions.
Tate has emerged as a game breaker and projected NFL first-round pick for the Buckeyes. His 18.2 yards per catch lead the Big Ten. He has caught 39 passes for 711 yards and seven touchdowns.
He is the top target for quarterback Julian Cynon, who is completing 79.4% of his passes with 27 touchdowns and four interceptions.
Ohio State has lost four straight against Michigan, including not scoring in the second half last year. Tate was Ohio State’s leading receiver last year with six receptions for 58 yards in a 13–10 loss. Smith had five catches for 35 yards and a touchdown, his second-lowest output of the 2024 regular season.
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