Copyright Newsweek
The No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes lead the Purdue Boilermakers 24-3 at halftime of Saturday's Big Ten matchup. Through the first two quarters of the game, the Buckeyes were without one of their top offensive weapons: wide receiver Carnell Tate. Tate had no injury designation heading into Saturday's game, but was nowhere to be found in the first half. According to a report on Big Ten Network, Tate "tightened up" during warm ups and Ohio State chose to hold him on the sideline for precautionary reasons. With Tate out, even more of a receiving load falls on the shoulders of sophomore wideout Jeremiah Smith. Smith delivered in a big way in the first half, reeling in seven catches for 109 yards and one touchdown. The 19-year-old pass catcher connected with quarterback Julian Sayin on a 35-yard deep-ball touchdown during the second quarter. More Football: Deion Sanders’ Latest Julian Lewis Decision Affects His Colorado Future Smith entered Saturday's matchup against Purdue as the Buckeyes' leading receiving, catching 55 passes for 725 yards and nine touchdowns through Ohio State's first eight games of the 2025 college football season. Tate is the program's second-leading receiver with 711 yards and seven touchdowns to this point in the Buckeyes' campaign. Smith joined Ryan Day's Ohio State program as the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2024 class. With Saturday's touchdown score, the Florida native is now the fastest player to reach 25 receiving touchdowns in Ohio State program history. More Football: 49ers Announce Final Call on Brock Purdy, Mac Jones for Rams Game At halftime of Saturday's game against Purdue, it appears the Buckeyes are well on their way to their ninth win of the 2025 season. During his halftime interview with Fox Sports, Day confirmed that Tate will not appear in the second half. Tate's next opportunity to return to the field is a matchup against the UCLA Bruins next weekend.
