OHIO STATE VS. MICHIGAN STATE NOTEBOOK: LATHAN RANSOM’S INJURY IS “LONG-TERM,” CADE STOVER COMES BACK STRONG AND DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE CONTINUES
Three of Ohio State’s starting defenders missed Saturday night’s game against Michigan State with injuries, and it appears likely to remain without at least one of them for the rest of the regular season.
Ryan Day said after the game that linebacker Tommy Eichenberg’s status is “week-to-week” with his arm injury and that Ohio State is optimistic Eichenberg and safety Josh Proctor, who also missed the Michigan State game after taking a shot to the head and leaving the Rutgers game early, will both be back on the field sooner than later.
The outlook for safety Lathan Ransom, however, looks bleaker. Ransom was using a knee scooter to get around with his left foot in a walking boot Saturday night, and Day described Ransom’s injury as “long-term” during his postgame press conference.
“It’s not long-term, but it will be week-to-week, and we feel like we’re gonna get him back here soon,” Day said when asked about Eichenberg. “Lathan’s more long-term, but I think with Proc, we’re gonna get him back here real soon.”
After having multiple starters suffer injuries of varying severity in each of its previous two games, Ohio State did not appear to suffer any major injuries during Saturday’s game. Freshman cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr. received some attention on the sideline after injuring his hand on a third-quarter pass breakup, but it appeared as though he could have returned to the game if needed even though he didn’t.
One injury concern popped up pregame when backup quarterback Devin Brown seemingly aggravated the ankle injury he initially suffered against Penn State. Brown fell down while backpedaling during the Buckeyes’ dynamic stretching warmup and came up limping. He was still healthy enough to dress for the game and throw during the final round of pregame warmups, but he did not see any game action. Freshman quarterback Lincoln Kienholz saw his first action of the season instead, completing two of three passing attempts for 18 yards in the fourth quarter, when he replaced Kyle McCord with Ohio State already leading by 38-3, which would be the game’s final score.
With Eichenberg, Proctor and Ransom sidelined, Cody Simon made his first start of the season at linebacker while Sonny Styles made his second consecutive start at one safety spot and Malik Hartford made his second career start at the other. Simon tied for the team lead with five tackles on the night while Hartford recorded four tackles and Styles recorded three tackles, including one sack.
STOVER COMES BACK STRONG
While Ohio State’s defense was without a few key players against Michigan State, Ohio State’s offense was finally back to full strength for the first time since September as all of their regular starters were in action against the Spartans. That included tight end Cade Stover, who missed the Rutgers game with a knee injury but looked no worse for wear against the Spartans.
In just one half of play, Stover tied his Ohio State career-high – previously set earlier this year against Notre Dame – with seven catches. He caught the ball every single time he was targeted for a total of 79 yards, highlighted by an impressive 18-yard touchdown catch that gave the Buckeyes a 35-3 lead before halftime.
