Jaxon Smith-Njigba hasn’t played much yet this year, but C.J. Stroud and Ohio State's passing attack have done just fine without him.
After missing most of the season opener due to a mild hamstring injury that he suffered midway through the first quarter, Smith-Njigba sat out the Week 2 win over Arkansas State, played in less than two quarters against Toledo in Week 3 – collecting two catches for 33 yards in the 77-point outburst by the Buckeyes – and missed the game against Wisconsin last Saturday night. Although he was expected to return to full-time action against the Badgers, Smith-Njigba was listed as unavailable prior to kickoff and didn't even participate in pregame warmups one week after playing (in a minimal role) against Toledo.
| Category | Stat | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Total offense | 558.8 | 2nd |
| Touchdowns | 27 | T-1st |
| Yards per play | 8.25 | 1st |
| Passing yards per game | 305.5 | 12th |
| Passing touchdowns | 17 | 1st |
| Yards per passing attempt | 11.0 | T-3rd |
Missing the star that set single-season Ohio State records for both receptions (95) and receiving yards (1,606) a season ago could have been quite a problem for Day's offense. It has been anything but that so far. The Buckeyes are tied for the most touchdowns in the Football Bowl Subdivision (27) and are averaging 8.25 yards per play (best in the nation) and 558.8 yards per game (second-most in the FBS). Stroud's 305.5 passing yards per game (12th in the country), 16 passing touchdowns (T-1st), 207.5 passer rating (2nd) and 15.5 yards per completion (4th) have made him the early Heisman Trophy favorite.
Without Smith-Njigba sidelined for what has essentially been 3.5 games so far, other Ohio State receivers have stepped up in a major way.
Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka have been among the best wideouts in the country through the first month of the season. Egbuka has 26 catches (tied for 23rd in the country) for 442 yards (6th) and five touchdowns (T-7th), while Harrison has 21 receptions (T-51st) for 387 yards (16th) and five touchdowns (T-7th).
| Player | Category | Stats (FBS Rank) |
|---|---|---|
| Emeka Egbuka | Yards | 442 (6th) |
| Touchdowns | 5 (T-7th) | |
| Marvin Harrison Jr. | Yards | 387 (16th) |
| Touchdowns | 5 (T-7th) | |
| Cade Stover | Yards | 188 |
| Touchdowns | 2 |
Cade Stover (12 receptions, 188 yards, two touchdowns) has emerged as a real weapon in the passing game at tight end, while Julian Fleming has racked up seven catches for 90 yards and three touchdowns in his first two games back in the rotation. Jayden Ballard (six catches, 127 yards) and Xavier Johnson (five catches, 48 yards) have also scored touchdowns.
While Ryan Day acknowledged Tuesday that there was some initial panic when Smith-Njigba went down against Notre Dame, he has been impressed with how Stroud and the rest of the Buckeyes’ offense have adapted to Smith-Njigba’s absence and stepped up without him – and Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, Ohio State’s other starting receivers from last season, for that matter.
“(Stroud) has gotten into a rhythm a little bit with the offense,” Day said on Tuesday, “Having Marvin and Emeka and now Julian, Xavier Johnson, that's a whole different group than he had last year ... I think what we've done is we've built the offense around those guys now which is a little bit of a different feel. C.J. has embraced that and he's gotten some chemistry with those guys over time and those guys have settled into some roles which have really been the blessing, the silver lining, not having Jaxon here for some of these games.”
Smith-Njigba is currently seventh on the team in both receptions (four) and receiving yards (36), yet the Buckeyes have the nation’s third-best scoring offense (48.8 points per game), 12th-best passing attack (339 passing yards per game) and second-best total offense (558.8 yards per game) so far this season. Now, imagine how good the offense can be when Smith-Njigba is actually healthy.
“It was good to get depth back a little bit in the receiver room,” Day said following the Buckeyes’ 77-point output against Toledo in Week 3. “Every week we gotta have guys ready to step up and be ready to play. There's no waiver wire. We gotta develop players. That's why we go out and recruit them.”
When Smith-Njigba went down, many thought (and even stated and/or tweeted) that it could be a good thing in the long run. While an injury is certainly never ideal, WR1’s absence has given other players an opportunity to have an increased role in the offense and showcase their skill sets. It seems as though that's precisely what’s happened, which will pay dividends for the Buckeyes when Smith-Njigba returns.
