Two Ohio State Stars Land on Injury Report Ahead of Week 12 vs. UCLA

Just two hours before kickoff, Ohio State announced that its two star wide receivers are on the injury report prior to Saturday's game against the UCLA Bruins.

Carnell Tate will not play for the Buckeyes, while Jeremiah Smith is listed as questionable. Tate's injury designation isn't much of a surprise, as he missed last week's game against the Purdue Boilermakers. It was told that he sat out last week for precautionary reasons, but his lingering calf injury will hold him out of Saturday night's contest.

Smith, on the other hand, is a surprise add to the list. Just one week after his 10 catch, 137 yard, one touchdown performance, not much is publicly known about why Smith isn't guaranteed to play. He showed last week that when he has to carry the offense, he has the ability to do it. 

The silver lining to this is that on Saturday against UCLA, the Buckeyes shouldn't need to be at full strength to win the football game. They are massive favorites and this gives Brandon Inniss, Mylan Graham and Bryson Rodgers the opportunity to step up in their place. 

Unfortunately, it also makes it clear that Tate's injury might be a little more significant than what the team led everyone to believe last week at Purdue.

Tate was seen warming up to play against the Boilermakers, so the injury did not appear to be too serious. The Buckeyes are going to use an abundance of caution to make sure that he is 100 percent ready for the stretch run of the season. 

Obviously, Jeremiah Smith is a name that you never want to see on the injury report. He is the focal point of the Buckeyes' offense and in many respect's the most important player on the entire team.

While being surrounded by several other highly talented players, Smith stands head and shoulders above them. Losing him for an extended period of time could be uncomfortable for the Buckeyes' offense. Again, it is more important that he is 100 percent for the Michigan game and a playoff run than it is for UCLA.

The full injury report is as follows:

Questionable

Out

The Buckeyes will be shorthanded on offense, but at full strength on defense. This news shouldn't shake their confidence for tonight, but the level of concern is raised for the final few weeks of this season.