Ohio State rules out Carnell Tate, lists Jeremiah Smith as questionable for UCLA game
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Ohio State will be short-handed at wide receiver during its game against UCLA on Nov. 15.
The Buckeyes ruled out junior Carnell Tate and listed sophomore Jeremiah Smith as questionable on their weekly availability report submitted to the Big Ten. No specifics were given on the report released two hours before kickoff at Ohio Stadium.
It was the second straight absence for Tate, who did not appear in last week’s win at Purdue as a precaution for an unspecified injury.
Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said Tate had been due to be available against the Boilermakers before an issue arose during warmups that led them to reevaluate his status.
It was not considered a significant setback. When Day met with reporters after the game, he said Tate probably could have played if they had not exercised caution. Tate watched from the sideline at Ross-Ade Stadium in uniform. Day declined to given an update on his status earlier this week.
Smith has appeared in all nine games for the Buckeyes this season and had a career-high 10 receptions for 137 yards and one touchdown while Tate was sidelined at Purdue.
The two have formed a receiving tandem that is considered to be the best in college football with a combined 104 catches for 1,573 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Mylan Graham and Bryson Rodgers are two of the reserve receivers who could see larger roles alongside slot receiver Brandon Inniss against the Bruins.
The Buckeyes also started out in a 12 personnel grouping, which features two tight ends alongside two receivers, last week instead of 11 personnel, which has one tight end with three receivers. Will Kacmarek started at tight end with Max Klare against the Boilermakers.
While the Buckeyes are limited at receiver, they are healthier along the offensive line as starting right tackle Phillip Daniels is available.
Daniels, who was sidelined at Purdue, and replaced by redshirt freshman Ian Moore, was not among the 10 players who were ruled out.
Joshua Padilla, the Buckeyes’ sixth offensive lineman who has rotated at right guard, remains out against UCLA.
The eight others on the roster who are unavailable include quarterback Mason Maggs, wide receiver De’zie Jones and safety Malik Hartford, as well as five defensive linemen in Jarquez Carter, Logan George, Eric Mensah, Maxwell Roy and Ahmed Tounkara.
Running back CJ Donaldson is also questionable alongside Smith.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow along on Bluesky, Instagram and X for more.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football rules out wide receiver Carnell Tate for UCLA game
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