Do you want the good news or the bad news? Well, the good news is that the Ohio State Buckeyes will face the Ducks of Oregon with their top two wide receivers, DeVier Posey and Dane Sanzenbacher. The bad news is that they will have to play the game without Duron Carter and Ray Small. Carter and Small are both ineligible to play in the game. Duron Carter apparently hasn’t qualified to play due to academic circumstances. Ray Small, whose career demands a better metaphor than “dog house,” will miss the game for allegedly violating team rules. As usual, the blanket phrase was used and we don’t really know what those team rules were that Small broke.
Now, missing these two players doesn’t sink the Buckeyes’ chances in the game by any stretch. Then again, it isn’t exactly going to help either. As Eleven Warriors points out, Small and Carter were the Buckeyes’ two leading punt return men. Even that isn’t a giant deal as long as whoever steps in doesn’t fumble the ball. Other than that, the Buckeyes should probably be fine. This season Terrelle Pryor passed for only about 150 yards per game anyway. And if this means Pryor will be targeting the tight ends a few more times, I actually love it. Tight ends seem to be the forgotten part of Ohio State’s offense.
Just in case you don’t know, the Rose Bowl will be played at 4:30 PM on New Year’s Day. As of this typing, the Buckeyes are 3.5 point underdogs to the Ducks of Oregon.
