Buckeyes without Denzel Burke, Lathan Ransom at Rutgers | Emeka Egbuka returns
Ohio State will be without starting cornerback Denzel Burke and starting safety Lathan Ransom at Rutgers on Saturday (noon ET; CBS). However, the Buckeyes will welcome WR Emeka Egbuka back.
Ohio State will be without starting cornerback Denzel Burke and starting safety Lathan Ransom at Rutgers on Saturday (noon ET; CBS). This is per the Buckeyes’ availability report, which lists players who are “out” or “questionable” and does not specify why those players are listed.
The good news for OSU is that junior wide receiver Emeka Egbuka is not listed on the report, meaning he will return to action following a three-game absence due to an ankle injury.
It is also notable that quarterback Devin Brown – who has been dealing with a high ankle sprain – is not listed on the report.
Ohio State Availability Report vs. Rutgers
Questionable
None
Out
CB Denzel Burke
WR Kyion Grayes
DL Jason Moore
S Lathan Ransom
TE Joe Royer
RB Miyan Williams
What this means for Ohio State
Rutgers is merely No. 123 in the country in passing offense, so not having Burke should not be a big factor today. We are to the point of the season where you just want to make sure frontline players like Burke are ready to go for the Michigan game on Nov. 25, which is merely three weeks from today. Davison Igbinosun and Jordan Hancock have been playing well for the Buckeyes at corner, and true freshman Jermaine Mathews Jr. will be ready if needed.
Ransom being listed as out is no surprise as we heard all week that he would likely miss multiple games with the injury he suffered last week at Wisconsin. This means more playing time for Sonny Styles, which is one heck of a good “Plan B.” But still, the Buckeyes will need Ransom back against the Wolverines, so hopefully he will not be out all month.
It is interesting that Ja’Had Carter is not listed on the report. Unless that was an oversight, the Syracuse transfer is someone who could add quality depth at safety.
Getting Egbuka back is big for the offense and should help open things up for Kyle McCord and the rest of the unit. Egbuka could have played each of the last two weeks, but the coaches decided to play it safe with him. Marvin Harrison Jr. was deadly without Egbuka in the lineup. With the Washington native back in the fold, defenses now have to worry about two elite WRs.
At running back, Williams is out for the season with a knee injury as head coach Ryan Day mentioned on Tuesday. However, the good news is all the other scholarship running backs are healthy. That includes starter TreVeyon Henderson (who missed three games prior to the Wisconsin tilt last week) and top backup Chip Trayanum.
What will be interesting today is how much we will see of Dallan Hayden – or if we will see him at all. He has played in only two games this season as the staff is trying to redshirt him. Might that plan be out the window now? The Buckeyes also have Evan Pryor who has not been used much this season. The Buckeyes will need to get a reliable third back going due to the absence of Williams. Hayden makes a lot of sense in terms of who will fill that role.
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