{"id":68112,"date":"2022-09-06T22:43:01","date_gmt":"2022-09-06T22:43:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/ohio-state-doesnt-expect-jaxon-smith-njigba-or-luke-wypler-to-miss-much-time-but-preparing-to-play-without-them-if-needed\/"},"modified":"2022-09-06T22:43:01","modified_gmt":"2022-09-06T22:43:01","slug":"ohio-state-doesnt-expect-jaxon-smith-njigba-or-luke-wypler-to-miss-much-time-but-preparing-to-play-without-them-if-needed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/ohio-state-doesnt-expect-jaxon-smith-njigba-or-luke-wypler-to-miss-much-time-but-preparing-to-play-without-them-if-needed\/","title":{"rendered":"Ohio State Doesn&#8217;t Expect Jaxon Smith-Njigba or Luke Wypler to Miss Much Time, But Preparing to Play Without Them If Needed"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>                   One game into the season, two starters on Ohio State&#8217;s offense are already dealing with injuries.                <\/p>\n<div>\n<p>\tStar wide receiver Ja Smith-Njig Notba a hamstring injury in the first quarter of Ohio State&#8217;s 21-10 win overre Dame that ultimately forced him to leave the game after one series in the third quarter.  After the game, starting center Luke Wypler was seen leaving Ohio Stadium in a walking boot.\n<\/p>\n<p>\tRyan Day said Tuesday that neither player&#8217;s injury is expected to lead to a long-term absence \u2013 but the Buckeyes are preparing contingency plans in the event that either player misses time.\n<\/p>\n<p>\tWhile Day said Monday on Big Ten Network he is hopeful Smith-Njigba will be able to play this Saturday against Arkansas State, he said Tuesday that the Buckeyes will be careful not to rush him back if he is not 100 percent healthy.\n<\/p>\n<p>\t\u201cI leave it up to the doctors and the medical professionals, but yeah, we will not bring him back if there&#8217;s any risk of him getting further hurt for the future,\u201d Day said.  \u201cWe&#8217;ll make sure he&#8217;s 100% before we put him back in the game.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>\tDay said Smith-Njigba will be evaluated over the course of the week and that a decision on whether he will play Saturday won&#8217;t be made until later in the week.  If the medical staff clears Smith-Njigba to play, though, Day said he will trust the junior receiver to let the coaches know whether he feels he can play up to his full ability or whether it would be best for him to rest.\n<\/p>\n<p>\t\u201cWhen we have a more experienced guy who&#8217;s played, you can kind of trust them a little bit to give you some feedback, if it&#8217;s one of those things we&#8217;re trying to figure out,\u201d Day said.  \u201cBut at the end of the day, it comes down to the doctors and the trainers.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p><div class=\"ast-oembed-container\" style=\"height: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ryan Day reflects on Notre Dame win, gives injury updates, discusses offensive performance\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ut91u2i2dco?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>\tRealistically, the Buckeyes shouldn&#8217;t need Smith-Njigba to have a successful day on offense this week, considering Arkansas State allowed the second-most yards per game of any team in the country last season.  Day said the Buckeyes will have to adjust if he can&#8217;t play, though, as he described Smith-Njigba as a player who \u201cmakes everybody else on the field better.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>\t\u201cHe&#8217;s just such an impact player,\u201d Day said.  \u201cAs you saw last year, he can turn a five-yard completion into whatever.  He&#8217;s just so explosive, and because of that, when you have a playmaker like that on the perimeter, it just has such an impact on the entire game schematically across the board.  So yeah, I mean, that&#8217;s just the impact he makes, because he&#8217;s such a great player.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>\tOhio State quarterback CJ Stroud certainly wants to have Smith-Njigba, who he said he considers to be the best player on the team, in the lineup on Saturday.  But he also wants Smith-Njigba to be careful not to rush back into action too quickly.\n<\/p>\n<p>\t\u201cYou don&#8217;t want to damage yourself more than you have, so you miss more weeks,\u201d Stroud said.  \u201cIf we needed him that bad (to beat Notre Dame), Jaxon would have played.  I know that he would have.  But I mean, a hamstring&#8217;s something you don&#8217;t play with.  I had a hamstring my freshman year and you can&#8217;t really run, for real.  And that&#8217;s 50% of his game.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>\tWhile Stroud and the Buckeyes had fewer passing yards against Notre Dame than they had in all but one game last season (Tulsa) with Smith-Njigba sidelined, Stroud was proud of the way the Buckeyes overcame his absence to get a win over a top- five opponents.  And he&#8217;s confident Ohio State&#8217;s other receivers will step up if Smith-Njigba has to miss more time.\n<\/p>\n<p>\t\u201c(Xavier Johnson) will step up, Emeka (Egbuka) again, Marvin (Harrison Jr.) again.  (Jayden Ballard) will have a good game again.  And the younger dudes we&#8217;re calling in to step up,\u201d Stroud said.  \u201cSo it&#8217;s an opportunity for everybody to have a good game and try to go out there and dominate, try to compete.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"related-box\">\n\t<strong>RELATED<\/strong> Five Things to Know About Arkansas State Before the Red Wolves Come to Columbus\n<\/p>\n<p>\tAs for Wypler, Day did not express much concern about the Ohio State center&#8217;s injury on Tuesday.  Wypler was able to play every snap of the game against Notre Dame, and it&#8217;s unclear whether Wypler will need to miss any time.\n<\/p>\n<p>\t\u201cWhen you come out of those physical games like that, there&#8217;s always bumps and bruises and things that we want to keep an eye on,\u201d Day said.  \u201cBut nothing long-term there.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>\tLike with Smith-Njigba, though, Ohio State has reason to be cautious this week if Wypler is anything less than 100 percent healthy.  Given that, the Buckeyes are considering two options for if Wypler can&#8217;t play: Moving Matt Jones to center and starting Enokk Vimahi at right guard, or starting Jakob James at center while keeping Jones at right guard.\n<\/p>\n<p>\tVimahi entered the game on Ohio State&#8217;s final touchdown drive against Notre Dame after Jones had to leave the game for a few plays, and Day was impressed by Vimahi&#8217;s performance against the Fighting Irish, which might well make him the next man up for the Buckeyes to get their top five healthy offensive linemen on the field.\n<\/p>\n<p>\t\u201cWhen Matt went down, Enokk came in and actually gave us some good plays there.  We had a counter play where he came around, he did a nice job and I think we picked up about eight or nine yards on that play, \u201dDay said.  \u201cAnd so yeah, it&#8217;d be one of the two.  We either move Matt to center and then move Enokk over to guard or you bring Jakob in.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>\tThe absence of Wypler, who Stroud described Tuesday as his \u201cvice president\u201d when it comes to identifying defenses at the line of scrimmage, would be another thing Ohio State&#8217;s quarterback would need to adapt to.  But he says he has faith in either Jones or James to get the job done if one of them has to fill in at center.\n<\/p>\n<p>\t\u201cWe&#8217;ve worked these types of scenarios in practice where Luke would step out and Matt would come in or Jakob would come in and I trust in those guys, too,\u201d Stroud said.  \u201cDefinitely gotta make some adjustments to that because Luke is so pivotal in his way to see defenses and see fronts and different things like that.  So definitely will be an adjustment, but nothing crazy.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"related-box\">\n\t<strong>RELATED<\/strong> Presser Bullets: Ryan Day Says Buckeyes Won&#8217;t Risk Future Injury For Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Thinks Ohio State Could Have Been &#8220;More Efficient on Offense&#8221; Against Notre Dame\n<\/p>\n<p>\tAnother key player on offense currently dealing with an injury is Julian Fleming, who was viewed as a potential starter at wide receiver going into the Notre Dame game but ended up being unable to play after he was listed as a game-time decision.  Day said Fleming \u201ctweaked something leading up to the game\u201d \u2013 he appeared to be dealing with a lower-body injury during warmups \u2013 but Day expressed optimism Fleming would be able to play this weekend, which would give the Buckeyes another candidate to start at wide receiver against Arkansas State if Smith-Njigba can&#8217;t go.\n<\/p>\n<p>\t\u201cHe went through warmups (before the Notre Dame game) and he was close (to being able to play).  And it tore his heart out not to be in this game.  He had an unbelievable offseason, he did a really good job this preseason, \u201dDay said.  \u201cSo we&#8217;re hoping to have him back on Saturday.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One game into the season, two starters on Ohio State&#8217;s offense are already dealing with injuries. Star wide receiver Ja Smith-Njig Notba a hamstring injury in the first quarter of Ohio State&#8217;s 21-10 win overre Dame that ultimately forced him to leave the game after one series in the third quarter. After the game, starting &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/ohio-state-doesnt-expect-jaxon-smith-njigba-or-luke-wypler-to-miss-much-time-but-preparing-to-play-without-them-if-needed\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Ohio State Doesn&#8217;t Expect Jaxon Smith-Njigba or Luke Wypler to Miss Much Time, But Preparing to Play Without Them If Needed<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":67910,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/presser-bullets-ryan-day-says-buckeyes-wont-risk-future-injury-for-jaxon-smith-njigba-thinks-ohio-state-could-have-been-more-efficient-on-offense-against-notre-dame\/","url_meta":{"origin":68112,"position":0},"title":"Presser Bullets: Ryan Day Says Buckeyes Won&#8217;t Risk Future Injury For Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Thinks Ohio State Could Have Been &#8220;More Efficient on Offense&#8221; Against Notre Dame","date":"September 6, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Week 1 is in the books. Ohio State pulled off a double-digit win over the No. 5 team in the country over the weekend, and Ryan Day had plenty to be pleased with after the Buckeyes' 21-10 victory over Notre Dame. Day discussed what went right and what could've been\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"Ryan Day","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.elevenwarriors.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/904x490\/public\/c\/2022\/09\/132818_h.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":66505,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/ohio-states-jaxon-smith-njigba-hamstring-injury-should-be-ready-in-a-couple-weeks\/","url_meta":{"origin":68112,"position":1},"title":"Ohio State&#8217;s Jaxon Smith-Njigba hamstring injury, should be ready in &#8216;a couple weeks&#8217;","date":"September 5, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"\r Ohio State star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is expected to miss a game or two after suffering a low-grade hamstring injury Saturday evening in the No. 2 Buckeyes' season-opening win against Notre Dame, a source told 247Sports. Smith-Njigba will likely undergo an MRI this week to confirm the low-grade\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":71951,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/julian-fleming-jaxon-smith-njigba-jordan-hancock-and-kamryn-babb-unavailable-against-arkansas-state\/","url_meta":{"origin":68112,"position":2},"title":"Julian Fleming, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Jordan Hancock and Kamryn Babb Unavailable Against Arkansas State","date":"September 10, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Ohio State will be without Julian Fleming and Jaxon Smith-Njigba against Arkansas State on Saturday. Fleming and Smith-Njigba were listed as game-time decisions for the Buckeyes' matchup with the Red Wolves. Both went through stretches on the field while the rest of the team walked through the Skull Session. However,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":67551,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/jaxon-smith-njigba-injury-details-revealed-per-report\/","url_meta":{"origin":68112,"position":3},"title":"Jaxon Smith-Njigba injury details revealed, per report","date":"September 6, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Ohio State wide receiver Jaxson Smith-Njigba suffered a mild hamstring injury in Saturday night's 21-10 win over Notre Dame. The Buckeyes' star receiver is slated to miss 1-2 weeks, according to 247 Sports' Chris Hummer. Smith-Njigba is quarterback CJ Stroud's NO. 1 weapon heading into the 2022 season. He totaled\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":67034,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/ohio-state-still-evaluating-jaxon-smith-njigbas-injury-but-hopes-to-have-him-available-this-week-its-not-a-long-term-thing\/","url_meta":{"origin":68112,"position":4},"title":"Ohio State Still Evaluating Jaxon Smith-Njigba&#8217;s Injury, But Hopes to Have Him Available This Week: \u201cIt&#8217;s Not A Long-Term Thing\u201d","date":"September 5, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Ryan Day expects Jaxon Smith-Njigba to be back on the field sooner than later. During an appearance on Big Ten Network on Monday afternoon, the Ohio State head coach said Smith-Njigba's injury is \u201cnot a long-term thing,\u201d and he remains hopeful the Buckeyes' star wide receiver will be available to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":66547,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/ohio-states-ryan-day-addresses-ugly-victory-over-notre-dame\/","url_meta":{"origin":68112,"position":5},"title":"Ohio State&#8217;s Ryan Day Addresses &#8216;Ugly&#8217; Victory Over Notre Dame","date":"September 5, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"After a grueling Week 1 game against Notre Dame to start his season Saturday, Ohio State coach Ryan Day touched on the \u201cugly\u201d day and what it means for his program. \u201cThat was something we spent a lot of time in the offseason saying, 'We have to be able to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.elevenwarriors.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/904x490\/public\/c\/2022\/09\/132826_h.jpg?itok=r8DWoLDn","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68112"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68112"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68112\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}