Buckeyes captain Zach Harrison ruled out for Tulsa matchup
COLUMBUS — The Ohio State defensive overhaul will have to start without a captain.
Junior defensive Zach Harrison will be unavailable for the possible bounce-back opportunity for the Buckeyes on Saturday against Tulsa, forcing the unit to look elsewhere for a pass-rushing threat.
Harrison was widely praised for delivering one of the most impressive offseasons of anybody in the program, growing as a vocal leader and tapping into his immense physical potential. That paid off with a game-changing sack and forced fumble in the season opener, though Harrison and the rest of the Rushmen didn’t have much of an impact in the stunning upset loss to Oregon last week.
Now Ohio State will have to retool at least for one week without Harrison on the field at all after the team officially released its availability report ahead of kickoff in the Horseshoe.
“I mean, [the lack of pressure] it is frustrating for sure,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said on Tuesday. “We’ve got to create some disruption, we’ve got to affect the quarterback and we didn’t do that.
“We all are taking a hard look at everything we’re doing from scheme to our structure, all those types of things. What gives us the best chance as we play against Tulsa to win the game?”
The Buckeyes have more than enough talent still on hand to get a tuneup victory in a rare game coming off a loss. But Ohio State obviously would have preferred to have all options available to it as it tries to make across-the-board corrections on defense.
Starting safety Josh Proctor is also out following his season-ending leg injury last week, and that might actually be a more pressing concern for the Buckeyes given the recent problems in the secondary. Ohio State has been looking at a handful of candidates to fill in for Proctor in the backend, including a shift over from cornerback to safety for Ryan Watts.
That will all be closely monitored after kickoff for Ohio State against Tulsa in the Horseshoe. Here is the complete Availability Report for the Buckeyes, making note that the program doesn’t reveal specific injury or disciplinary details.
Ohio State Game-Time Decisions
- LB Teradja Mitchell
Unavailable Buckeyes
- WR Kamryn Babb
- RB Marcus Crowley
- DE Tyler Friday
- DE Zach Harrison
- OL Jakob James
- BUL Jaylen Johnson
- OL Trey Leroux
- LB Mitchell Melton
- OL Harry Miller
- DL Noah Potter
- SAF Josh Proctor
- OL Ryan Smith
- OL Toby Wilson
