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The Northwestern football team is not expected to win today vs. Ohio State, but the Wildcats' odds certainly did not decrease with the latest injury news.
Wide receiver Bryce Kirtz, who has missed the last two games due to injury, is set to return for the Wildcats today vs. the Buckeyes.
Sources: Northwestern will get back second-leading receiver Bryce Kirtz for the game against No. 2 Ohio State today,” ESPN's Pete Thamel wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “He has 414 yards receiving on the season and leads the Wildcats with an average of 51.7 receiving yards per game.”
Kirtz played in each of Northwestern's first seven games, and despite missing the last two, he still ranks second in receptions and receiving yards, only behind A.J. Henning. Among qualifying players, he also leads the team in yards per catch at 15.3.
How much of a difference Kirtz will make remains to be seen, but the Wildcats certainly have an uphill battle today regardless of who is out there. Northwestern has lost to Ohio State in each of the last 10 meetings, and its 2004 win over the Buckeyes remains the only one for the Northwestern football program against OSU since 1971. Ohio State leads the all-time series 65-14-1.
Fortunately for the Wildcats, who are 28.5-point underdogs, they enter today's game at Wrigley Field with some momentum, having defeated Purdue in overtime two weeks ago before their bye week. The extra week of rest and preparation for a team as highly touted as Ohio State could not hurt either, even though while the Wildcats were off, Ohio State pummeled the same Purdue team Northwestern squeaked by.
A loss today for the Wildcats would mean Northwestern (4-5, 2-4 in Big Ten) would have to win each of its final two games of the regular season to become bowl-eligible. The ‘Cats play at Michigan next week before facing in-state rival Illinois on Nov. 30.
