Ohio State star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba could be kept on a plays limit when the No. 2 Buckeyes hit the road to face No. 13 Penn State on Saturday.

A third-team All-American last season, Smith-Njigba injured his hamstring in the Buckeyes’ Week 1 game against Notre Dame. He saw limited action against Toledo on Sept. 17 and then missed three games before returning last Saturday in Ohio State’s 54-10 win over Iowa.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day said Tuesday that Smith-Njigba was on a limit of about 20 plays for the Iowa game and he may not be ready for full, unmonitored action against the Nittany Lions.

“We have such great people in sports medicine and our doctors,” Day told reporters. “There’s been a very specific plan on how to get him back to playing. Number of total yards per day, number of high-speed yards per day and then, after each practice, evaluating the range of motion and strength. We’re just kind of following that lead.

“It’s way over my head. … We’re just relying on the doctors to give us the information and we just go from there.”

Smith-Njigba has five receptions for 43 yards this year. In 2021 he hauled in 95 catches for 1,606 yards and nine touchdowns.

–Field Level Media