Of Ohio State’s injured players, Emeka Egbuka is the one the Buckeyes need the most vs. Penn State

The injury bug bit No. 3 Ohio State at the wrong time of the year. While the Buckeyes already played one of their projected top-10 games, and defeated Notre Dame in South Bend, the Big Ten season is heating up. The Scarlet and Gray face one of their biggest challenges of the year in No. 7 Penn State at Ohio Stadium on Saturday. They could potentially be down as many as five important players, assuming no further injuries in the lead up.

While head coach Ryan Day said earlier this week that he is “hopeful” to have players back for this game, there is no guarantee. And although the absence of running backs TreVeyon Henderson, Chip Trayanum and Miyan Williams, as well as cornerback Denzel Burke, would all be blows, it is wide receiver Emeka Egbuka who Ohio State needs the most against the Nittany Lions.

Egbuka suffered a leg injury in the second half against Maryland two weeks ago while getting tackled on the sideline. The receiver got to his feet and began to jog across the field but quickly indicated to the bench that he needed to come out of the game before teammates and coaches indicated for him to go down to not delay the game by substituting. Egbuka was helped off the field, taken to the medical tent and did not return. After the game, Egbuka limped up the tunnel to the Buckeye locker room, assuring teammates he would be okay.

Last week, Egbuka did not travel to West Lafayette for the Scarlet and Gray’s 41-7 win against Purdue. While this is concerning for Ohio State fans, as it means he was ruled out of the game before the Buckeyes left Columbus, the team is limited in the number of players that can go to away games and Egbuka was unlikely to get a waiver to travel.

Although the Scarlet and Gray have a deep receiver room, Egbuka and classmate Marvin Harrison Jr. have dominated the targets and receptions. Without Egbuka against the Boilermakers, quarterback Kyle McCord went Harrison’s way 13 times, tying a career high. Harrison caught six of those targets for 105 yards and a touchdown but was the focus of Purdue’s secondary throughout the game.

Despite missing a game-plus, Egbuka is third on Ohio State’s roster with 22 catches for 303 yards and tied for second with tight end Cade Stover with three touchdown catches. Without him, the Buckeyes relied more on the versatile Xavier Johnson, who also had to play running back after Trayanum left the game in the first quarter, in the slot, targeting the senior three times. Stover caught four passes for 53 yards and a season-high two touchdowns.

“We all know the production Emeka has had and the impact that he’s had on our offense the last couple of years,” Day said on Tuesday. “And anytime you don’t have somebody like that, it does affect your offense, for sure.”

The Buckeyes have the weapons to get by without Egbuka against Purdue’s secondary, but Penn State is different. The Nittany Lions’ secondary has been among the best in the country, holding teams to 121.2 passing yards per game and a 49.1 completion percentage, both tops in FBS.

In Egbuka’s absence last week, Julian Fleming caught one pass for nine yards a week ago. He is a reliable veteran receiver but doesn’t have the same big-play threat as Egbuka. Freshman Carnell Tate stepped up and played the most snaps of his young career, catching three passes for 79 yards. Egbuka has arguably been the Scarlet and Gray’s most reliable receiver this season, catching 73.3 percent of his targets, and not having him against the country’s top-ranked pass defense would make life more difficult for Ohio State’s offense.

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If Egbuka misses Saturday’s game, the Nittany Lions can focus their defensive attention on Harrison. Other teams have tried this, but because of the talent of Egbuka – and others, to be fair – the Buckeyes have either been able to use Harrison as a decoy or force the coverage elsewhere. Against Notre Dame, the other top-10 matchup the Scarlet and Gray have played, Harrison had just three catches for 32 yards, while Egbuka often found himself one-on-one with his defender. McCord punished the Fighting Irish for not respecting the receiver more, going to Egbuka a season-high 10 times for seven catches and 96 yards, including a 21-yard reception to set up the game-winning touchdown.

While missing Henderson the last two weeks has meant the run game has struggled, Ohio State has found ways to move the ball without the team’s most explosive running back. Sophomore Dallan Hayden has proven he can get the tough yards that Trayanum and Williams bring, as well as get chunk plays. Burke would certainly be missed as the Buckeyes’ top corner, but outside of KeAndre Lambert-Smith, the Nittany Lions don’t have the most dangerous group of wide receivers, and the Scarlet and Gray have trust in corners Davison Igbinosun, Jordan Hancock and Jermaine Mathews to step up if needed.

It is possible, maybe even likely, that Ohio State left Egbuka at home last week with an eye toward Saturday’s game against Penn State. If he can get healthy, the receiver has proven he can be a difference-maker in big games, even against a talented Nittany Lions secondary.

However, if Egbuka cannot go, the Buckeyes will have to find another way to produce against the best defense they will face this regular season.

“You have to figure out ways to kind of make it work because, ultimately, nobody cares,” Day said. “You’ve got to figure out a way to get it done.”