The injury report may end up shaping Oregon’s trip to Ohio State as much as anything on the field.
The No. 23 Ducks head into Saturday already dealing with a season full of absences, including quarterback Dante Moore, wide receiver Jeremiah McClellan, running back Jordon Davison and others. But there is at least a chance Oregon gets one important piece back in time for the matchup, with McClellan listed as a game time decision for the first time since breaking his foot in September.
That matters because Oregon is trying to keep its season from slipping further. The Ducks have three losses, which leaves them with far less room to breathe.
Ohio State, meanwhile, sits at 6-2 after losses to No. 7 Texas and No.
20 USC. Both teams were near the top of the AP Poll to start the year, and both are still hanging around the Big Ten Championship and College Football Playoff picture.
But Saturday feels like a game neither side can afford to lose.
For Oregon, McClellan’s possible return comes with another setback at receiver, since Messiah Hampton is sidelined. Even so, McClellan would give the Ducks another weapon in a passing game that already leans on Evan Stewart and Dakorien Moore. He has only played two games, but he is still Oregon’s fifth-leading receiver, which tells you how much production he has packed into a tiny sample.
Ohio State has its own injury issues to manage. Wide receivers Brandon Innis and Brock Boyd were listed as “doubtful” during the week and are “out” for Saturday. The Buckeyes will still center their passing game around Jeremiah Smith, who has been the clear star of the group.
Smith leads Ohio State with 1,067 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. No other Buckeyes pass catcher has reached 300 receiving yards or even two touchdowns.
The quarterback situation adds another layer. Ohio State is expected to start Luke Fahey, while Oregon has leaned on Dylan Raiola for most of the season since Dante Moore’s concussion.
Raiola has had his ups and downs, with turnovers shaping much of his season, and he is 1-2 as Oregon’s starter. Still, he has also shown what the Ducks can look like when things click, leading them to wins in relief appearances against USC and Nebraska.
The version Oregon gets on Saturday could decide a lot. Against Northwestern, with offensive analyst Jay Johnson calling plays, the Ducks moved the ball well. Raiola finished that game with 336 passing yards and three touchdowns, completing 22 of 31 attempts.
Now the test gets much tougher. Oregon will have to see whether Raiola and the offensive line can handle pressure from the Ohio State defense, and whether the Ducks can establish enough of a run game to keep the Buckeyes honest.
The same goes for Oregon’s defense, which faces a major challenge against Smith and an Ohio State offense that only scored 18 points in the loss to USC. With Innis and Sayin unavailable, Smith’s role becomes even bigger. The question for the Ducks is whether they can get enough pressure on Fahey to make life difficult for an inexperienced quarterback.
Oregon’s final injury list also includes Jordon Davison, Dante Moore, Messiah Hampton, Andrew Olesh, Aaron Flowers, Braydn Platt, Matthew Johnson, Trent Ferguson and Dave Iuli. Ohio State’s list includes Brandon Innis, Julian Sayin, Brock Boyd, Ja’Kobi Jackson, Deshawn Stewart, Eli Lee, Jaxon Powell and Maxence LeBlanc.
In Other News...
Ohio State Still Has A Path But Two Problems Need Fixing Fast
Cris Carter still sees a route for Ohio State to salvage its season and stay in the College Football Playoff conversation, but the path is getting narrower by the week. The Buckeyes have already felt the sting of recent losses, and with national championship expectations never far from the surface in Columbus, the margin for error has basically disappeared.
What stands out now is how much has to come together at once. The defense needs to tighten up, Luke Fahey has to keep developing, and Ryan Day is carrying the kind of pressure that comes with every big-game stumble. The next stretch will say plenty about whether Ohio State can steady itself in time to keep its postseason hopes alive. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Faces One Oregon Threat Fans Can't Ignore
With College Football Playoff stakes hanging over the matchup, Ohio State is getting a fresh reminder that Oregons offense may not be the only thing to worry about. The Ducks are expected to have wide receiver Jeremiah McClellan back from injury, giving them another weapon as they prepare to meet a Buckeyes defense that will already have plenty on its plate.
For Ohio State, the attention naturally shifts to Jeremiah Smith, who has been one of the teams top performers this season and a central part of the Buckeyes passing game. With both sides bringing high-end receiver talent into a game that could shape the playoff picture, the early read is that big plays and momentum swings may decide more than just the box score. [Read more 🡒]
Jeremiah Smith Enters A Weekend That Could Change Everything For Ohio State
Jeremiah Smith heads into a weekend that has the feel of an early hinge point, not just for Ohio State but for the wider Heisman conversation. Around the country, several quarterbacks and playmakers are attached to matchups that could reshape the award race, with names like Kenny Minchey, Sam Leavitt, Keelon Russell, Trinidad Chambliss, Gunner Stockton, Devon Dampier and Bear Bachmeier all in the mix as fans and evaluators look for the next surge.
For Ohio State, Smith sits in the middle of that buzz, with every big performance carrying extra weight for both his trophy case and the sports card market that tracks these breakout moments so closely. The stakes are bigger than one Saturday, too, because wins and losses in these spotlight games can alter playoff paths and change how quickly a candidates profile rises, leaving this weekend with the potential to redraw the Heisman picture in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]