Carnell Tate hasn’t seen the field for Ohio State since the Buckeyes’ Week 10 win over Penn State. While Ryan Day’s undermanned offense has continued to roll without its future first-round NFL draft pick at wide receiver, the Buckeyes are hoping to get Tate back in Week 14 with a chance to end a four-game losing streak to Michigan, and it sounds like they will.
While Day wouldn’t provide a clear answer on the status of Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith, who also missed Ohio State’s Week 13 win over Rutgers, he did give a bit of insight. Day told the media, “everybody was out there,” at Wednesday's practice, which would seem to include the team’s two superstar wide receivers.
Day has been coy about Tate’s injury status since he missed the team’s Week 11 win over Purdue, but it has been speculated that Tate could have gone in a bigger game. Day has been vocal in the past about load managing his team through a long season, which now culminates in an even longer postseason to reach the national championship. It seems that Day is being extra cautious with Tate with an eye on him returning to the field at 100% for The Game.
Last week, with both Tate and Smith on the sidelines, tight end Max Klare led the way with seven catches for 105 yards and a touchdown. Julian Sayin threw the ball just 19 times, completing 13 for 157 yards and two touchdowns in a 42-point outing. The Buckeyes ran the ball for 254 yards.
Though he’s played in just eight games, Tate is still second on the team with 39 catches for 711 yards and seven touchdowns. A big-play threat, Tate leads the Buckeyes with 18.2 yards per reception.
Last season, Michigan pulled an upset win as more than a three-touchdown underdog, largely because it dragged the Buckeyes into its style of game. Day allowed Ohio State to be dragged into a rock fight, leaning too heavily on the run game. If Tate is healthy, it will allow Day to stick closer to Ohio State’s preferred explosive offensive identity.
Latest Carnell Tate injury updates:
Ryan Day has not shared much about Tate’s undisclosed injury, but he did let the media know that “everybody was out there” at Ohio State’s Wednesday practice. With Tate practicing after missing the last three games, there is plenty of optimism that he’ll be on the field in Ann Arbor on Saturday afternoon.