Ohio State football star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba to be unavailable against Wisconsin
Jaxon Smith-Njigba returned to Ohio State’s lineup last week, starting as the slot receiver and catching two passes in the first half in a rout of Toledo.
But he will be sidelined Saturday night as the Buckeyes host Wisconsin in their Big Ten opener.
Smith-Njigba was among 10 players who were listed as unavailable on the pregame status report released two and a half hours ahead of kickoff.
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It was not immediately clear if the apparent hamstring injury Smith-Njigba sustained in the season-opening win over Notre Dame led him to be out this week or if he suffered another setback in practice. The program does not address specifics of players’ injuries.
After he was injured against the Irish on Labor Day weekend, Smith-Njigba sat out the following week against Arkansas State before returning for the Buckeyes’ final non-conference game.
He was limited in his return against the Rockets last Saturday. According to data from Pro Football Focus, he played only 23 snaps.
Coach Ryan Day had intimated as recently as Thursday that he expected Smith-Njigba to be available Wisconsin.
Day said he thought Smith-Njigba, as well as fellow receiver Julian Fleming, would be full go when about their roles during a lightning round of questions with reporters.
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“We'll keep taking it day by day and see how they do,” Day said before Thursday’s practice, “but so far, so good.”
The absence of Smith-Njigba could result in several combination of starting receivers.
One could involve Xavier Johnson, who filled in as the slot receiver in the Buckeyes’ three-receiver package when Smith-Njigba and Fleming were out in the second game.
But with Fleming available this week, he could also be paired with starting receivers Emeka Egbuka and Marvin Harrison Jr.
TreVeyon Henderson expected back, but not Cameron Brown
Running back TreVeyon Henderson is available as expected after he was sidelined following the first series last week.
But joining Smith-Njigba among the list of unavailable players was cornerback Cameron Brown.
Brown left last week’s win in the second quarter and will leave the Buckeyes even thinner in their secondary as fellow corner Jordan Hancock remains out.
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JK Johnson is likely to start at the outside corner spot opposite Denzel Burke. The only other scholarship corners are freshmen Jyaire Brown and Ryan Turner.
Day said this week that Brown and Turner have been getting first and second-team reps in practices and thought they could contribute if needed.
“Both of those guys have shown improvement,” Day said, “and we’ve seen other freshmen get on the field and do well.”
Mike Hall, Tanner McCalister and Josh Proctor could return vs. Wisconsin
A trio of starters, including defensive tackle Mike Hall and safeties Tanner McCalister and Josh Proctor, was not among the listed unavailable players after being held out last week against Toledo.
The rest of the unavailable players included defensive end Omari Abor, receiver Kamryn Babb, linebacker Teradja Mitchell, defensive tackle Zach Prater and tight end Joe Royer. Linebacker Mitchell Melton and Evan Pryor suffered season-ending injuries in the offseason.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Contact him at jkaufman@dispatch.com or on Twitter @joeyrkaufman
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Jaxon Smith-Njigba out: Ohio State Ohio state football injury report
