Ohio State football: Emeka Egbuka is the unsung-hero from win over Notre Dame

The Ohio State football team picked up their first win of the 2022 college football season against 5th-ranked Notre Dame on Saturday. It was a tough and gritty win by the Buckeyes. The offense had unexpected struggles during the game, but there was one player in particular that stepped up big time on the Ohio State offense.

That player is wide receiver Emeka Egbuka. The sophomore wideout flew under everyone’s radar coming into this season and is still not getting the recognition he deserves after his contributions in the win over the Fighting Irish.

Egbuka had 9 receptions on 11 targets for 90 yards, leading all Ohio State receivers. He also opened the Buckeyes scoring with a 31-yard touchdown reception. Egbuka is a quick and explosive wide receiver that is a big-play generator. His contributions to the win for Notre Dame can not go unrecognized.

Egbuka stepped up in a big way when Jaxon Smith-Njigba left the game with a left leg injury. The offense was missing its energy after Smith-Njigba went down. Egbuka became a vital piece of the offense and produced by adding a touchdown and he had some ridiculous catches along the sidelines.

With how loaded the Ohio State wide receiver room is, Egbuka’s name doesn’t get mentioned nearly as much as it should. He does a lot for this Buckeyes team as the deep man on kickoffs and punt returns. Now he can be a serious threat in this highly talented offense.

The question lingering around is the uncertainty of how severe Smith-Njigba’s leg injury is. Fleming was already down with an injury. Until we hear anything different, potentially Smith-Njigba could miss some time. Get familiar with his name now because we are going to hear Egbuka’s name called even more on Saturdays.

Egbuka came into this season as the 4th on the wide receiver depth chart. His role in the Ohio State offense has significantly increased heading into Week 2.