Star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba unavailable for Buckeyes in matchup with Wisconsin
COLUMBUS — Jaxon Smith-Njigba returned last week to finally get back on the field for Ohio State.
His return to action was short-lived. He won’t be available for the Buckeyes in their primetime Big Ten opener against Wisconsin on Saturday.
Smith-Njigba, the preseason favorite for the Biletnikoff Award, was injured in the season-opening win over Notre Dame. He missed the win over Arkansas State before returning for some playing time last week against Toledo. Now he is back on the shelf.
Ohio State will also be without starting cornerback Cameron Brown, leaving the Buckeyes with just four scholarship cornerbacks available Saturday night.
For the Buckeyes offense, they have plenty of weapons to overcome the loss of Smith-Njigba. But his presence in the lineup last week was apparent. But the Buckeyes built depth in his absence earlier this season, and that’s something they can lean on down the stretch in league play.
“It’s great for the room,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “You know, you can see now the depth that we have. When you’re playing a full game, we’re gonna need all those guys. We just are. And we knew we would need all these guys.”
Ohio State will need that depth again Saturday night without Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He won’t be available for the Buckeyes against Wisconsin.
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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
None
Unavailable for Buckeyes
WR Kamryn Babb
WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
CB Jordan Hancock
CB Cameron Brown
EDGE Mitchell Melton
RB Evan Pryor
TE Joe Royer
LB Teradja Mitchell
DE Omari Abor
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