Ohio State is gearing up for a tough road game at Iowa City against a team coming off a thrilling win over the team up North. The Hawkeyes are 4-0, with a chance to take another powerhouse down. Moreover, the Buckeyes could be without two of their starters, who remain questionable for Week 5.
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“Starting nickelback Jay Timmons and starting right tackle Phillip Daniels are both listed as questionable on Ohio State’s first injury report of the week,” as reported by Eleven Warriors on October 1 as the Buckeyes posted their injury list.
Timmons suffered the injury late in the third quarter of Ohio State’s victory over Illinois on September 26, when he went down after a cornerback blitz. He initially evaluated the injury in the medical tent and spent some time on the stationary bike before finishing the game on the sideline with his helmet off. The last update on his availability was given by the head coach.
“We’ll see how this week goes,” Ryan Day said on Tuesday when asked about Timmons’ status for Saturday’s game.
Timmons has become an essential anchor of the Buckeyes’ defensive line, and his stats in the past few games speak for themselves. He recorded nine tackles with four pass breakups, a forced fumble and a tackle for loss in Ohio State’s first four games. It would have been a good opportunity for him to set the defense back on track after they conceded 462 yards to Illinois. However, this part depends on how fast he recovers.
If Timmons stays on the sidelines, defensive coordinator Matt Patricia will have a tough decision to make between Jermaine Mathews Jr and Jordan Thomas to fill the void at nickelback. Both are good players, but Mathews has been on the defensive rotation for the season. He was seen on the field during every game the Buckeyes played.
He logged 2 tackles against Ball State and stepped up with 5 tackles in their game against Texas. Mathews Jr also added 2 tackles and a pass deflection against Kent State and most recently recorded 7 tackles and 2 passes defended in the win over Illinois. On the other hand, Thomas has mostly played in late-game blowout situations or on special teams. He appeared in the season opener against Ball State, where he recorded his first 2 total tackles.
After their last game against, Coach Day was a bit disappointed with the defensive line. “All it takes is one guy to be out of a gap, and it can turn into an explosive play, so we all have to be disciplined in what we do. We don’t just go out there and make plays,” Day said. “We have to play within the defensive scheme, but we have to dominate our one-on-one (matchups).”
So if Timmons is indeed benched, it might be a real head scratcher for the Buckeyes.
As for the offensive line, Phillip Daniels went down late against Texas on September 12 and has missed the subsequent wins against Kent State and Illinois. Head coach Ryan Day indicated that Daniels’ availability for the Iowa game will depend on how he looks in practice throughout the week. But because he has been out for a few games now, Coach Day has reshuffled his board with Gabe VanSickle stepping in, and Austin Siereveld moved over to take the position of right tackle.
“We’ll see how Phillip does this week, see how he looks and then make the decision on what we’re going to do from there,” Day said.
“I will say that Phil did some good things before his injury. But I also think Gabe has really been a bright spot for us in a lot of areas. It’s not been perfect, but he’s getting better with every rep.”
What does the rest of the injury list say?
There are 4 more names under the questionable side on the report alongside Timmons and Daniels. Bennett Christian missed last week’s matchup against Illinois but has otherwise been seen in multi-tight end sets. Safety, Brenten “Inky” Jones, is also on the list, but he is on the special team, so he hasn’t seen much of the defensive rotation so far.
Anthony “Turbo” Rogers is a freshman who still hasn’t taken a crack at the offensive line. Like Rogers, the freshman linebacker Braxton Rembert has primarily seen his development take place on the practice squad rather than the live-game defensive unit so far this season.
One good thing that came from the list is that Zion Grady is finally making a comeback. Grady has been out of action since the September 12 game against Texas. He was also missing in the Buckeyes’ subsequent matchups against Kent State and Illinois, which stalled what was shaping up to be a breakout freshman season.