Published Nov 6, 2021
Ohio State WR Garrett Wilson unavailable against Nebraska
Colin Gay  •  DottingTheEyes
Managing Editor
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@ColinGay_Rivals

LINCOLN, Neb. — Ohio State redshirt freshman quarterback C.J. Stroud will be without his favorite target Saturday afternoon against Nebraska.

Junior wide receiver Garrett Wilson was one of 13 players listed as unavailable for the Buckeyes against the Cornhuskers.

Wilson leads the team in receptions (43) and receiving yards (687), bringing in six touchdowns in eight games this season, including two against Maryland Oct. 9.

Saturday will be the first game Wilson has missed due to injury in his Buckeye career, bringing in 1,842 yards and 17 touchdowns through three seasons with Ohio State.

Ohio State will also be without junior offensive lineman Harry Miller Saturday afternoon along with redshirt freshman defensive lineman Darrion Henry-Young.

The Buckeyes will also be without Jack Miller III, who was suspended from the team after being arrested for operating a vehicle while impaired Friday morning.

After two weeks on the Buckeyes' injury report, junior running back Master Teague III is not listed ahead of Saturday's matchup against Nebraska, along with sophomore tight end Gee Scott Jr. and sophomore offensive lineman Enokk Vimahi.

Here's Ohio State's full injury report:

WR Kamryn Babb

RB Marcus Crowley

S Jantzen Dunn

DE Tyler Friday

DL Darrion Henry-Young

CB Jakailin Johnson

S Jaylen Johnson

DT Jaden McKenzie

LB Mitchell Melton

OL Harry Miller

DL Noah Potter

S Josh Proctor

WR Garrett Wilson

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What this means for the Buckeyes 

Ohio State will be missing its most productive receiver when it takes the field Saturday afternoon.

Wilson has three games this season in which he has accumulated double-digit targets, including a 10-target performance against Penn State last week where he recorded seven catches for 82 yards.

The junior receiver has only one game this season with less than 70 yards receiving: a five-catch day against Indiana where he recorded 59 receiving yards in which he recorded one drop.

In Wilson's absence, Ohio State's other two main receivers will have to step up: senior Chris Olave and sophomore Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Smith-Njigba has been Ohio State's most consistent receiver this year, bringing in 35 catches on 46 targets for 648 yards and three touchdowns — no scores since Week 4 against Akron.

Olave's been Stroud's favorite target in the end zone, leading the team with nine touchdown receptions with one in every game except Oregon and Tulsa. However, the senior has struggled with consistency over the past two weeks, bringing in five of his 12 targets for 68 yards and two touchdowns against Indiana and Penn State.

Also look for freshmen wide receivers Emeka Egbuka and Marvin Harrison Jr. to possibly get more reps with the first-team receivers Saturday afternoon, along with possibly the return of redshirt freshman Julian Fleming, who has played 19 snaps over three games — recording two catches for 17 yards — while also playing special teams after missing two games with what Olave said was a hamstring injury.