The Buckeyes welcome the Rutgers Scarlet Knights to Columbus on Saturday, and the main storyline will be the Buckeyes' receivers and whether we should see them.
Ohio State Buckeyes' superstar wide receiver Jeremiah Smith limped his way up the ramp at Ohio Stadium, aiming towards the Buckeyes' locker room during Saturday night's contest.
He was barely making any progress until defensive coordinator Matt Patricia came up beside him, and Smith put his arm around the coach and limped his way in.
If the concern level in Buckeye Nation wasn't high to begin with, the images of Smith struggling to walk should have set them over the edge.
Something significant happened either at the end of the Buckeyes' game against Purdue or in practice last week. Smith was fresh off a 10-catch, 137-yard, one-touchdown day in West Lafayette that reminded everyone that he is the closest thing to Superman.
Saturday in the Horseshoe showed everyone that he is a mere mortal, just like us.
The Smith injury came on the heels of junior wideout Carnell Tate's mystery injury that happened before the Purdue game. Tate went through warmups like normal and then when the Buckeyes took the field, he was no where to be found.
Whispers began, and right before halftime, the team made it official that they were shutting Tate down out of precaution. It was a reasonable move by the Buckeyes until he appeared on the injury report again against UCLA, this time listed as out.
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The Ohio State Buckeyes comfortably stay as the #1 team in the country but not without any adversity. Jeremiah Smith's lower body injury was on full display ...
Smith gave the Buckeyes a quarter and a half before checking out of the game Saturday. In that time, the Buckeyes' offense looked like its normal self with quarterback Julian Sayin looking comfortable. The first-year starter began the game completing a sharp 11 of his 12 passing attempts and was looking good.
Once Smith checked out of the contest, everything changed for the Buckeyes offense.
Sayin lost his confidence, and the pass game showed its flaws. He would finish the rest of the game 11-for-21 for less than 100 passing yards without his two top targets.
This was the Buckeyes' sign that they need to do two things in that receiver room. The first is to put Smith and Tate in bubble wrap and not let them out until they are 100 percent healthy.
In addition to the precaution, the Buckeyes must quickly improve the game of their young wide receivers. It is very clear that this offense runs off its two star receivers. If they are up against a much better opponent without those two guys, they may be in trouble.
It is critical over the next couple of weeks to develop the young players so they are ready just in case.
Saturday in the Horeshoe was eye opening for many watching the Buckeyes. The defense held strong, but the offense showed a lot of concerns.
Head coach Ryan Day and the coaching staff have so much to work on and improve to prepare for a world without Tate and Smith. What was proven, however, is that those two are the most valuable players on the best team in the entire nation.