Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate injury updates: Ryan Day speaks on star wide receivers

COLUMBUS — Ohio State knows the toughest challenges still lie ahead, and it will need both Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith in those biggest games later in the season.

So ahead of the Buckeyes upcoming home finale against Rutgers on Saturday (12 p.m., FOX), head coach Ryan Day updated the status of both Tate and Smith — well, kind of.

“They’re in great spirits,” Day said. “The medical staff is working hard. We’ll take it day to day. … they’re working hard to get back on the field.”

Carnell Tate hasn’t played for the Buckeyes since their win over Penn State on Nov. 1, when he had five catches for 124 yards and a touchdown in the 38-14 win. He warmed up ahead of the game at Purdue and dressed to play in that game, but he did not play. He was ruled out for the Buckeyes’ win over UCLA on Saturday when the official availability report was released two hours prior to kickoff.

As for Jeremiah Smith, he followed up a career-best 10 catches for 137 yards and a touchdown in the win over Purdue with just four grabs for 40 yards in the win over UCLA after being declared questionable for the game in the pregame availability report. Smith certainly made headlines with his gingerly jog into the locker room at halftime, leading to reckless speculation about his status moving forward.

With both of them either out or limited, Ohio State turned to a bevy of pass-catchers to make up production, as Julian Sayin threw to a variety of options. In the win over UCLA, Sayin found wide receiver Brandon Inniss six times, tight end Max Klare five times, wide receiver Mylan Graham three times, wide receiver Bryson Rodgers, tight end Nate Roberts and tailback Isaiah West twice and well as tailback James Peoples and wide receiver Quincy Porter once each.

Of course, Ohio State is much better as an offensive machine with Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith in action. The Buckeyes know that.

And they know they’ll be needed in the biggest games that are still to come on the schedule from late November into December and January.

Ohio State vs. Rutgers game information

Date: Saturday, Nov. 22
Time: 12 p.m, ET
Location: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
TV: FOX
Stream: FOX Sports

On The Call — FOX

Play-by-Play: Gus Johnson
Analyst: Joel Klatt
Reporter: Jenny Taft

On The Call — Ohio State Sports Network from LEARFIELD

Play-by-Play: Paul Keels
Analyst: Jim Lachey
Reporter: Tyler Danburg