PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Before Ohio State kicked off against Rutgers on Saturday night, it was announced that the Buckeyes would be without star defensive tackle Dre'Mont Jones due to a leg injury.
Urban Meyer said after the game that Jones' injury occurred in a freak accident in Ohio State's locker room, something Meyer said could have been much worse.
"We had a good practice (after) a hot day, and we were watching film when I got a text saying Dre'Mont cut his leg on a locker. It's ridiculous," Meyer said. "He is probably out this week too. We will know more when we get back. It was almost a nerve injury, but it's not."
Reserve running back Antonio Williams also did not make the trip after suffering an injury during practice leading up to the game against Rutgers. Meyer said Williams is expected to return to practice this week, and did not disclose the nature or severity of the injury.
Safety Erick Smith, who entered the week as Ohio State's second-leading tackler, also did not make the trip to Piscataway for what Meyer hinted at being off-field issues.
"He wasn't ready to make this trip," Meyer said. "It's my call and that's between me and him."
Mike Weber Finds Pay Dirt
It took until the fifth game of the season, but Mike Weber finally found the end zone.
Meyer said he was happy for Weber, especially considering Weber's season nearly ended before it began when he suffered a hamstring injury prior to fall camp.
"He ran hard. We have got to knock the rust off of him a little bit, but there's no doubt we want to get both of those cats (Weber and J.K. Dobbins) involved," Meyer said. "He is finally cleared. He had a significant tear right before training camp. They almost had to do surgery on him. We were looking at a (season)-ending loss right before training camp."
Weber carried the ball just 10 times for 44 yards, but found the end zone a career-high three times for the Buckeyes after missing two of Ohio State's first four games due to injury.
The Detroit native said after the game that he "never thought about surgery," adding that his desire to get back to the field drove him to get healthy.
"I'm staying on top of it and doing everything I can even when I am fully (healthy) to get where I need to be," Weber said.
Through five games this season (two of which he did not play), Weber has 17 carries for 86 yards and three scores.
Greg Schiano Returns To Rutgers
In an otherwise dull game, Ohio State defensive coordinator and former Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano provided some emotional moments.
Schiano, who coached at Rutgers from 2001-2011, had a moment before the game with former player Eric LeGrand, who suffered an injury while playing for Schiano that paralyzed him.
Great photo from @AndyMills_NJ. He was/is more than a coach to Eric. pic.twitter.com/t7muycN1E4
— Steve Politi (@StevePoliti) September 30, 2017
Schiano admitted that coming back to Piscataway for the first time since leaving in 2011 was a unique experience.
"It was weird, but there are really good people here," Schiano said. "I didn't get to see many people, but so many people made our time here special. I love the place. I love the people here. This is a special place to me."
Schiano received a short tribute video from the Rutgers athletic department during the first timeout of the game which featured multiple still photos and the PA announcer listing off some of his achievements in Piscataway.
Injury Report
Ohio State left Piscataway without any in-game injuries against Rutgers, but did have some good news with players coming back from injury. Outside the players mentioned above (Jones, Williams, Smith), what follows is a list of previously injured players who made the trip to Piscataway on Saturday.
- After spraining his foot in a win over Army, Chris Worley sat out last week's win over UNLV. Worley warmed up and dressed for the game against Rutgers, but did not play. Instead, Tuf Borland started in his place while Baron Browning also earned a number of reps at the middle linebacker position.
- After missing two games with a lower leg injury, Matt Burrell dressed and played in mop-up duty against Rutgers with the second team offensive line.
- Robert Landers also missed last week's game with a lower leg injury, but returned to action against the Scarlet Knights. He did not record a stat.
- Demario McCall, who finally saw the field offensively for the first time last week, rushed for 103 yards and scored twice against Rutgers. Meyer said McCall still isn't fully healthy, but the coach is encouraged with McCall's progress. "He is still not 100 percent. He has got more in the tank than what I saw," Meyer said. "The one where he broke away, usually he is out. He is doing a good job fighting through it."
