Ohio State will be without great receiver Chris Olave, starting striker Baron Browning and others for Saturday’s Big Ten championship against No. 14 Northwestern.
Olave and Browning are among the 22 Ohio State players listed outside the title. Initial safety Marcus Hooker appears as a game-time decision. Ohio State does not specify the reasons why players miss games, although sources told ESPN that the team had additional positive tests of COVID-19 this week among players and possibly staff.
Fourth-ranked Buckeyes played without 23 players on Dec. 5 at Michigan State, his most recent game. Several headlines that faced the state of Michigan (defender Tuf Borland and offensives Josh Myers, Thayer Munford and Nicholas Petit-Frere) are not listed in Saturday’s state report and are expected to play against Northwestern.
Starting point Drue Chrisman is among those who have taken part in the championship game, alongside wide reserve receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, last Steele Chambers, reserve quarterback Gunnar Hoak and others.
Chrisman tweeted that he had tested positive for COVID-19.
The Big Ten policy requires players who test positive for COVID-19 to miss a minimum of 21 days before returning to game action.
Olave leads the state of Ohio with 36 receptions for 528 yards and five touchdowns. Browning ranks second on the team with 23 attacks to finish, with a forced fall and two breakouts. Chrisman averages 45.2 yards per point with eight located within the opponents ’20-yard line.
Great receiver coach Brian Hartline and defense coach Al Washington are also not training Saturday at Ohio State.
Both teams authorized testing of the Big Ten COVID-19 on Friday night after arriving in Indianapolis and Northwestern continued to have no positive cases, according to a source. Northwestern has not reported positive testing between players or coaches all season.