What Are Carnell Tate, Jeremiah Smith's Injury Statuses for OSU vs. Rutgers?

One week away from its annual showdown with Michigan, Ohio State will be without Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith on Saturday against Rutgers.

Per ESPN's Pete Thamel, the Buckeyes are expected to sit both of their star wide receivers due to lower-body injuries.

Neither injury appears to be serious, with Thamel noting Tate and Smith are considered day-to-day.

Tate suffered an undisclosed injury during warmups prior to Ohio State's game against Purdue on Nov. 8. His last appearance was on Nov. 1 when he had five catches for 124 yards and one touchdown in a 38-14 win over Penn State.

Head coach Ryan Day told reporters that Tate "wanted to play" against Purdue, but he was held out as a precaution because they have "a lot of football ahead of us."

Smith only played in the first half of the Buckeyes' 48-10 win over UCLA on Nov. 15. He was listed as questionable going into the game and appeared to have a limp walking to the locker room for halftime.

Day told reporters after Tuesday's practice that the team's policy is not to publicly provide specifics on player injuries before the official report comes out on the day of the game.

Asked if Smith may have aggravated an injury, Day responded, "Not that I know of."

Smith and Tate have been, by far, the most prolific receivers for Ohio State this season. The dynamic duo has combined for 108 catches, 1,613 yards and 17 touchdowns. The rest of the team has 128 catches, 1,182 yards and nine touchdowns.

Saturday marks Ohio State's final home game of the regular season. The top-ranked Buckeyes (10-0) have outscored their opponents by an average of 30 points per game.

This will mark the 11th all-time meeting between Ohio State and Rutgers. Ohio State has won each of the first 10 games by a combined score of 512-114.