What Are Carnell Tate, Jeremiah Smith's Injury Statuses for OSU vs. Michigan?
Looking to end their four-game losing streak against Michigan and cap off a perfect regular season, Ohio State will get a huge boost to the offense with Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith likely to be back on Saturday.
Per ESPN's Pete Thamel, the Buckeyes star receivers are expected to play in The Game after recently missing time with lower body injuries.
Tate hasn't played since Ohio State's 38-14 win over Penn State on Nov. 1. He caught five passes for 124 yards in the game, but has been sidelined for the past three weeks.
Smith sat out last week's 42-9 victory against Rutgers. Head coach Ryan Day has been coy about the exact nature of the injuries to either player.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Day did suggest both players would be back on the practice field, but their status against Michigan wouldn't be determined until closer to game time.
"They'll be getting physical and mental reps all week. ... In the end, we'll look to the medical staff to give us a thumbs up or not," said Day.
Despite not having their offense at full strength since the beginning of the month, the Buckeyes haven't had any problems dominating the opposition. They have won the three games without Tate by a combined score of 124-29.
Getting Smith and Tate back only makes Ohio State even more dangerous. The duo has combined for 1,613 yards and 17 touchdowns this season. No other player on the team has more than 400 receiving yards or two touchdowns.
Ohio State (11-0) has won 10 straight games by at least 18 points. The Buckeyes' current four game losing streak to Michigan is their longest in the rivalry since an 0-5-1 stretch from 1988 to '93.
A win on Saturday will send Ohio State to the Big Ten Championship Game against Indiana. Michigan can reach the conference title game with a win and an Oregon loss to Washington.
