Ohio State has the best wide receiver duo in college football, but Buckeyes’ fans haven’t seen it in full force since the Week 10 win over Penn State. Carnell Tate has missed each of the team’s last two games, wins over Purdue and UCLA, with an unspecified injury, and now his status is in doubt for Week 13 when Ohio State hosts Rutgers in its final home game of the regular season.
Jeremiah Smith’s status is also in jeopardy for Week 13 after the superstar sophomore played just 22 offensive snaps against the Bruins last Saturday before limping off the field.
While there’s no certainty surrounding Tate’s availability against the Scarlet Knights, there’s certainly a clear path forward for Ryan Day and his coaching staff.
Ryan Day should keep Carnell Tate sidelined against Rutgers
With 39 catches for 711 yards and seven touchdowns, Carnell Tate is one of the most important players on Ohio State’s roster this season. In fact, he’s too important to risk against a team like Rutgers.
Ohio State has rolled to a 10-0 record, thanks in large part to Tate’s offensive production, but without him on the field the last two weeks, the Buckeyes have scored 34 and 48 points, and have plenty of elite pass catchers to pick up the slack.
Over the past two weeks, Bryson Rodgers, Brandon Inniss, and Mylan Graham have filled the void left by Tate with ease. In Week 12, with Tate out and Smith limited, Inniss led the team with six catches, and Graham set the pace with 40 receiving yards. That production came in a game when Julian Sayin threw the ball for just 184 yards while the running backs accounted for 222 on the ground.
Rutgers' defense is not much better than the UCLA unit Ohio State faced last week. The Scarlet Knights rank 131st in the FBS in defensive EPA/dropback and 129th in EPA/rush. By defensive Net EPA/drive, Rutgers is 133rd of 136 FBS teams.
Ohio State has a bevy of pass-catching talent on its roster, assembled and developed by the best wide receiver coach in the country, Brian Hartline, and is facing the worst defense in the Big Ten. Tate and Smith are too important to risk their long-term health in this game because Sayin should absolutely be able to win it without them.
Day has been one of the first to understand the new reality of college football and the potential of a 16 or 17-game season. He spoke often about load management after last season’s national championship run, has slowed his team’s offensive pace to run fewer plays, and sees the value in resting his best players for the most important games on the schedule.
Well, those games are all coming up, with a trip up north looming in Week 14 before, likely, heading to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Title Game. Then, it’s the College Football Playoff.
The Buckeyes need Tate healthy to win those games, not this one.