The lasting image from the Ohio State Buckeyes' victory over the UCLA Bruins was star wideout Jeremiah Smith being helped up the ramp in the tunnel to the Buckeyes' locker room.

It was the first time in his young career that the superstar showed even just one break in his seemingly invincible armor.

This came just one week after head coach Ryan Day held out junior wide receiver Carnell Tate for what was described as an abundance of caution against the Purdue Boilermakers. 

In the last three weeks, the two most important players on the Buckeyes' offensive roster will have played a combined 1.5 quarters together. This is clearly not the direction that anyone in Columbus wants this offense and this team to take. 

With that said, it would have been a very bad move to have either of those two guys play in a game that the Buckeyes are 32.5-point favorites. They are absolutely not necessary to the success of the Buckeyes on Sunday.

They need to be "all-systems" on getting healed up and healthy for The Game, the Big Ten Championship, and the College Football Playoff at large. 

While this isn't ideal for the offense as a whole, it presents a really important opportunity for quarterback Julian Sayin and the Buckeyes' passing game. 

It was obvious last Saturday against UCLA that when the two stars were out, Sayin's efficiency and precision decreased significantly. He was just over the 50 percent completion mark in the second half for just under 50 yards. 

It was a significant enough drop off that it needs to be a major point of emphasis in this game. 

With Smith and Tate down, the door is open for Mylan Graham and Bryson Rogers to step up alongside Brandon Inniss. Quiny Porter is also on the injury report, so he will miss the chance to run with the ones on Saturday. 

The Full Injury Report:

Questionable

• None

Out

• Defensive Line: Jarquez Carter
• Defensive Line: Logan George
• Safety: Malik Hartford
• Wide Receiver: De'Zie Jones
• Quarterback - Mason Maggs
• Wide Receiver - Quincy Porter
• Defensive Tackle: Max Roy
• Wide Receiver - Jeremiah Smith
• Wide Receiver - Carnell Tate
• Defensive Line: Ahmed Tounkara

Saturday is the final tune-up before the Buckeyes head north to Ann Arbor for the next iteration of "The Game." Each of Ohio State's goals lies on the other side of that game, so they are using Saturday against Rutgers as an opportunity to get healthy.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving is the next most important date on the calendar, and the Buckeyes are acting accordingly.