The Ohio State Buckeyes were dealt an unfortunate blow to their offense just days before their highly-anticipated showdown with the Indiana Hoosiers.
According to The Columbus Dispatch, center Seth McLaughlin suffered a torn Achilles in practice. Unsurprisingly, he’ll miss the rest of the season because of this injury. A torn Achilles takes several months to fully heal from.
Ohio State has not yet released an official statement on McLaughlin’s injury. It’s possible that’ll come on Wednesday.
The last thing Ohio State really needed was another hit to its offensive line. Left tackle Josh Simmons suffered a season-ending knee injury during the team’s loss to Oregon in October.
Now, Ryan Day will once again have to reshuffle his offensive line now that McLaughlin is out for the year.
McLaughlin transferred to Ohio State following a four-year stint at Alabama. He appeared in 35 games and recorded 24 starts with the Crimson Tide. Unfortunately, his time in Tuscaloosa is often remembered by two rough snaps in the College Football Playoff semifinal loss to Michigan.
Ohio State, the No. 2 team in the nation, has a 9-1 record heading into this Saturday’s game against Indiana.
If Ohio State wants to stay in the race for the top seed in the College Football Playoff, it’ll need to take care of business against Indiana. That task will be a bit more challenging with McLaughlin out due to injury.
As for Indiana, there’s a good chance Curt Cignetti’s defense will test Ohio State’s revamped offensive line early and often this weekend.
Related: Newest 2024 College Football Playoff Rankings Released Tuesday Night