Buckeyes WR Emeka Egbuka OUT vs. Purdue

Originally posted on FanNation Buckeyes Now
By Matt Galatzan | Last updated 10/13/23

The Ohio State Buckeyes will be without one of their top playmakers on Saturday against the Purdue Boilermakers, with wide receiver Emeka Egbuka set to miss the contest with a lower-body injury.

According to reports, Egbuka did not make the trip with the team to West Lafayette, staying home in Columbus to continue his treatment.

Buckeyes fans can breathe a bit easier, though, as Day eased the concerns about Egbuka's status on Tuesday.

"One thing I can tell you is that it's not going to be a long-term issue," Day said. "We'll probably have a better idea of how he's doing later in the week, but the good news was it's not a long-term issue. We'll kind of re-evaluate as the week goes on."

Although the contest today was firmly in hand when Egbuka's injury occurred, the Buckeyes will need him as the season goes on - particularly in two weeks when they face No. 6 Penn State.

That said, while the prognosis is not clear yet, it seems like Day and his staff have a pretty good outline of the situation.

Either way, the important thing is, that the injury likely won't affect his season-long status.

Before his injury, he had hauled in three catches for 40 yards, averaging just over 13 yards per catch. His partner in crime, Harrison Jr., who's suffering from his own injury troubles, did a lot of the heavy lifting in this one, snagging eight receptions for 163 yards and a touchdown.

It's unlikely that Egbuka will let this derail his year, and if the Buckeyes want to avoid coming off the tracks as a whole, they'll need him back at full strength as soon as possible.