Ohio State is awaiting a response from the Big Ten regarding Northwestern’s ankle-twisting tackle of Jeremiah Smith last weekend.
Ryan Day said Tuesday that Ohio State submitted the video of the tackle to the Big Ten but had not yet received a response from the conference as of Tuesday at noon.
Most importantly as it pertains to this week‘s top-five matchup against Indiana, Day said Smith is “good to go” for this week’s game despite limping off the field after that tackle.
The tackle occurred at the end of Smith’s 68-yard catch-and-run during the third quarter of Saturday’s game at Wrigley Field. As Smith was pulled down to the ground, Northwestern defensive back Robert Fitzgerald could be seen turning the Ohio State star’s ankle.
#6 Robert Fitzgerald purposely twisting and pulling Jeremiah Smiths leg after the play. Dirty play. pic.twitter.com/ZiBrwqesHz
— Buckeye Realm (@BuckeyeRealm_) November 16, 2024
Fitzgerald received significant backlash on social media from Ohio State fans after the play and deleted his X account over the weekend as a result.
Smith was able to return to the game on Ohio State’s next possession, but touched the ball only one more time on an end-around run on which he did not appear to be running at full speed. That left concerns about whether Smith would be at full strength for this week’s game, but Day’s comment on Tuesday indicates that Ohio State at least fully expects Smith to play against the Hoosiers.
