COLUMBUS -- The Ohio State wide receivers have already shown they can survive without a top starter.

Now the Buckeyes will have to do the same thing at cornerback.

The program officially confirmed on Saturday evening that it is not even close to done with a rough stretch of injuries as Big Ten play opens in the Horseshoe against Wisconsin. And after an apparent setback for Jaxon Smith-Njigba on offense, the Buckeyes are also dealing with a major loss on defense with Cameron Brown ruled out on the Status Report.

Ohio State has had several weeks to prepare for life without Smith-Njigba. But with Brown unavailable, Jordan Hancock still hurt and Denzel Burke also dealing with a minor hand injury, the Buckeyes are getting stretched quite thin in a unit that didn't have many scholarship cornerbacks in the first place.

"Ryan [Turner] has practiced well the last couple weeks," Ohio State coach Ryan Day said on Thursday. "He's made plays, made some progress. He deserved to get his Black Stripe off. Yeah, I mean, he's been getting reps with the first team, second team. He really hasn't been on the scout team much the last couple weeks. Same thing with Jyaire [Brown].

" ... Both of those guys have shown improvement. We've seen other freshmen get on the field and do well. So, [cornerbacks coach] Tim [Walton] and [defensive coordinator] Jim [Knowles] and all the guys on defense will get those guys prepared if the time is right and they're at competitive excellence."

The moment seems to have arrived far sooner than Ohio State would have expected, and it's certainly not ideal with Wisconsin eager to atone for an early loss by springing an upset in a primetime blackout at the Horseshoe.

The Badgers are dealing with a handful of key injuries as well. But the Buckeyes coming in scrambling a bit in the secondary will certainly add intrigue to a matchup that has had a double-digit point spread all week.

Ohio State released its Status Report with kickoff approaching on Saturday night, and the full list is available below -- making note that the program doesn't specify injuries or potential disciplinary issues.

Game-Time Decisions for Ohio State

-- None

Unavailable Buckeyes

-- DE Omari Abor

-- WR Kamryn Babb

-- CB Cameron Brown

-- CB Jordan Hancock

-- LB Mitchell Melton

-- LB Teradja Mitchell

-- DT Zach Prater

-- RB Evan Pryor

-- TE Joe Royer

-- WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba