Buckeyes will be without TreVeyon Henderson for Purdue matchup

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Ohio State coach Ryan Day put any speculation to bed Friday when he told reporters who gathered at the team hotel that star wide receiver Emeka Egbuka won’t suit up Saturday against Purdue.

So the main question mark about the Buckeyes availability report is now in the running back room. And the Buckeyes, after talking as if star TreVeyon Henderson would certainly be back for this week’s matchup at Purdue after missing last week against Maryland, have now declared their star running back out.

This comes even after Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said he expected Henderson back in the lineup this week.

“It was one of those things where the question was, ‘If he played in this game, could he have a setback if something happened in the game?’ The answer was yes,” Day said postgame last week versus Maryland. “And just based on how everything played out last year, the decision was made to hold him this week to make sure that he was full-go next week, because we know we got a lot of football ahead of us.”

The Buckeyes will also be without fellow running back Miyan Williams, who was also ruled out. He has seen a limited role so far this season, but he did have six carries for 23 yards last weekend against Maryland.

So for the first time this season, Ohio State will truly be tested in the backfield this weekend.

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

Other availability report notes

Of course, the headliner is that star wide receiver Emeka Egbuka did not travel to West Lafayette with the team and will not play Saturday. He is hoping to be back next week when Ohio State takes on Penn State in Columbus.

Tight end Joe Royer is out for the Buckeyes with an undisclosed issue.

Freshman defensive lineman Will Smith Jr. is still out for the Buckeyes, as are sophomore wide receiver Kyion Grayes and fourth-year defender Kourt Williams II. Williams is expected to miss the entire season with a knee injury sustained during the preseason.

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

Questionable for Ohio State

DT Jaden McKenzie

Out for Buckeyes

RB TreVeyon Henderson
WR Emeka Egbuka
RB Miyan Williams
WR Kyion Grayes
RB TC Caffey
TE Zak Herbstreit
TE Joe Royer
DL Will Smith
WR Reis Stocksdale
DB/LB Kourt Williams II
WR Nolan Baudo

Ohio State vs. Purdue: Game time, details

From Lettermen Row’s Andy Backstrom:

Ohio State leads the all-time series, 40-15-2. The teams have played just twice in the last decade, starting with an iconic upset in a sold-out Ross-Ade Stadium in 2018. Purdue thumped the then-No. 2 Buckeyes, 49-20, effectively knocking Ohio State out of College Football Playoff contention. The Boilermakers were playing for Tyler Trent, a 20-year-old Purdue student and Boilermakers Superfan who was dealing with osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. Trent passed in 2019, but his memory — and his team’s remarkable 29-point win over Ohio State — is an integral part of Purdue history.

Ohio State hosted Purdue back in 2021, and the Buckeyes came away with a 59-31 win. That time, it was a top-20 matchup between the Big Ten crossover opponents. The stars of the show in 2018 were Purdue quarterback David Blough, wide receiver Rondale Moore and running back D.J. Knox. In 2021, however, Buckeyes playmakers stole the spotlight, namely quarterback C.J. Stroud, wideout Garrett Wilson and the running back duo of Miyan Williams and TreVeyon Henderson.

• Time: 12 p.m. E.T.
• TV Channel: N/A (only streaming on NBC’s Peacock)
• Date: Saturday, Oct. 14
• Location: Ross-Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana
• Weather: 59º, 58% chance of rain during the afternoon, winds 14 mph
• The line: Ohio State is a 19.5-point favorite, per FanDuel.
• Over/under: 49.5 points