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Buckeyes waiting on pair of game-time calls in receiver room

Spencer-Holbrookby:Spencer Holbrook•09/10/22•

SpencerHolbrook

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Jaxon Smith-Njigba will be out Saturday for Ohio State. (Ben Jackson/Getty Images)

COLUMBUS — Ohio State may not even need two of its top wide receiver options to beat Arkansas State on Saturday in the Horseshoe.

But the Buckeyes will certainly be happy if two of their best players can play. Both Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Julian Fleming are game-time decisions for the Noon kickoff at Ohio Stadium; Smith-Njigba was injured early last week in the win over Notre Dame, while Fleming dressed for the opener but didn’t play.

Kamryn Babb is out for the early kick, leaving the Ohio State wide receiver depth in question heading into Week Two, especially if the pair of third-year playmakers can’t go.

Smith-Njigba, the favorite to win the Biletnikoff Award all preseason, caught just two passes for 3 yards in the win over Notre Dame last week. He tried to return to action, but his sore hamstring kept him on the sideline for nearly the entire second half as the Buckeyes came back to win.

Ohio State was confident he wouldn’t miss much time. That he is a game-time decision proves that Smith-Njigba’s issue shouldn’t be a long-term problem for the country’s premier offense.

“I leave it up to the doctors and medical professionals but we will not bring him back if there’s any risk of him getting hurt further for the future,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said about Smith-Njigba. “We’ll make sure he is 100 percent before we put him back in the game.”

Additionally, Ohio State will be without backup cornerback Jordan Hancock for the game against Arkansas State, as well.

The full availability report from the program is now confirmed, making note that Ohio State doesn’t detail injury or disciplinary matters.

Ohio State Game Time Decisions

WR Julian Fleming

WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Unavailable for Buckeyes

WR Kamryn Babb

CB Jordan Hancock

DB Lloyd McFarquhar

EDGE Mitchell Melton

RB Evan Pryor

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