Garrett Wilson cleared for return, Buckeyes lose depth in backfield

COLUMBUS — The already-dominant Ohio State passing attack is getting stronger.

But a ground game that has sagged over the last couple weeks is going to be missing a key depth piece for the Buckeyes.

The official availability designations for Ohio State on Saturday afternoon for a critical showdown with Purdue in the Horseshoe was something of a mixed bag, though the return of a superstar wide receiver like Garrett Wilson will outweigh the absence of reserve running back Master Teague. For the most part, though, the Buckeyes are about as healthy as could be expected at this point in the November championship push with no late surprises emerging in the starting lineup.

“[Wilson] has had a good week of practice,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said on Thursday. ” … We missed him, and we’re looking forward to having him back this week.”

The Buckeyes survived without him at Nebraska, getting a record-setting performance from Jaxon Smith-Njigba and solid work in a spot start from Julian Fleming to pick up the slack.

But a healthy Wilson is a transcendent talent that can only boost Ohio State down the stretch. Having him back in the fold could even provide a spark on the ground — either with defenses needing to account for him or by running it himself as a game-breaking threat on jet sweeps.

The Buckeyes will be looking for answers on the ground after coming up short of the program standard over the last couple weeks, most notably with breakdowns in the red zone. Master Teague would have been a potential solution, but his injury-marred campaign is again on hold with an undisclosed injury.

Starting running back TreVeyon Henderson will likely be in line for another heavy workload, though he’s also dealt with nagging injury issues in the second half of the season. Without Teague, then, Ohio State could be looking at more work for Miyan Williams against a solid Purdue defense.

That will be sorted out in the Horseshoe on Saturday afternoon. 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

• DB Marcus Hooker

Unavailable Buckeyes

• WR Kamryn Babb
• RB Marcus Crowley
• DB Jantzen Dunn
• OL Jack Forsman
• DE Tyler Friday
• DL Darrion Henry-Young
• DB Jakailin Johnson
• DB Jaylen Johnson
• DT Jaden McKenzie
• LB Mitchell Melton
• OL Harry Miller
• DL Noah Potter
• DB Josh Proctor
• RB Master Teague
• OL Toby Wilson