Ohio State will still be without one of its starting defensive ends.
Jonathon Cooper came off the practice field on Wednesday with his helmet and pads on, creating a bit of speculation that he would return to the field this weekend after missing the first two games of the season with an undisclosed injury. However, he remains listed as unavailable for Saturday's game against Indiana, per the program's status report that was released Friday morning.
Justin Hilliard will return to action, though, per the status report. The redshirt senior who has dealt with numerous injuries throughout his career missed the first two games of the 2019 season after his recovery from a ruptured Achilles that he suffered in the spring continued into September. Though he has frequently played at middle linebacker, he's listed as the backup bullet to Brendon White on this weekend's depth chart.
Jahsen Wint, typically the backup bullet, is listed as unavailable after playing in the first two games of the season. He was in a collision during a kickoff against Cincinnati and did not return to the field. C.J. Saunders and Taron Vincent remains out for Saturday's game against Indiana. Saunders has attended games while walking with a crutch, and Vincent had a sizable sling on his right arm last weekend.
| Ohio State Status Report for Indiana |
|---|
| GAME-TIME DECISION |
| N/A |
| UNAVAILABLE |
|
LB Jahsen Wint WR Kamryn Babb DE Jonathon Cooper TE Cormontae Hamilton S Ronnie Hickman H-B C.J. Saunders DT Taron Vincent S Owen Fankhauser (walk-on) DT Noah Donald (walk-on) |
Kamryn Babb, Cormontae Hamilton and Ronnie Hickman also remain listed as unavailable for the Indiana game.
Jaden McKenzie, a freshman defensive tackle, was listed as unavailable in the first two weeks but will be able to play in Saturday's game.
Nobody is listed as a game-time decision this week. Ohio State has made a policy of not discussing reasons why anybody is listed on the status report.
With Cooper still out, Larry Johnson will once again turn to Tyreke Smith, Tyler Friday, Javontae Jean-Baptiste and Zach Harrison at defensive end across from Chase Young. Smith had his first career sack last weekend against Cincinnati and figures to have a major role against Indiana. Smith and Friday are listed as co-starting defensive ends.
With Saunders' absence at H-back, Jaelen Gill is still listed as the backup. However, he has only played 16 total snaps in the first two games of the season combined. Vincent's unavailability means Haskell Garrett will once again serve as Jashon Cornell's backup at defensive tackle.
