The Ohio State Buckeyes received some bad news on two of their key linemen for Saturday.
The Ohio State Buckeyes received some bad news on Friday evening regarding the health of two critical members of both of their lines.
On offense, right tackle Phillip Daniels was downgraded from "questionable" to "doubtful" on Friday's injury report. Defensive End Zion Grady had the same report as his health took a downward trajectory in relation to Saturday's game.
This is critical because the Buckeyes have to get it figured out on the offensive side of the football, specifically in the run game.
Ohio State just hasn't been good enough running the football so far this year, and a lot of it has had to do with inconsistency up front. They were fine against Ball State, they were bad against Texas, and then back to just fine against Kent State.
Part of the reason for their struggles is that it is early in the year. The other part of it is the inconsistency of their lineups so far this season. They have already had eight different starters up front this year, and they haven't found the right combination yet.
Daniels unfortunately is going to have to get back quickly. The flip side of the injury and missed time is that if the Buckeyes do start to figure it out, his position might be in jeopardy.
Daniels is supposed to be a critical part of this offensive line, but the best ability is availability, and the Buckeyes have to start finding solutions with, or unfortunately, without Daniels.
On defense, it is a similar conversation. Defensive lineman Zion Grady is likely to miss his second straight football game for the Buckeyes, and if there is any unit that needs to step up, it is the defensive line.
Ohio State's DL has been objectively bad in the first month of the season. They do not generate a pass rush; they struggled at times against the run, and when Texas pressed down on them in the fourth quarter two weeks ago, they tapped out.
They, too, are searching for answers, but possibly with more urgency than they are on the offensive side of the football.
The more time that Grady misses, the more likely it is that he is going to get passed over. Same conversation as above about Daniels; Grady is on a similar trajectory.
Saturday is a massive game for the Buckeyes. They need to get their Big Ten season off on the right foot. They need a win, and they will have to get it done without the help of two important pieces of their roster.
