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Ohio State football is coming off of a heartbreaking loss against Oregon on Saturday, and now the fallout from the game looks even bleaker. After dropping their first game of the season, star running back Quinshon Judkins underwent a “minor procedure” for a hand injury that he had been dealing with in the weeks leading up to the blockbuster matchup in Eugene, according to Matt Zenitz of 247 Sports.
“Ohio State star running back Quinshon Judkins underwent a minor procedure this week to repair a hand injury, sources tell @247Sports/@CBSSports,” Zenitz reported on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday. “The expectation is that he won’t miss any time. The Buckeyes have a bye this week.”
The news that Judkins should be back on Oct. 26 when the Buckeyes take on Nebraska is a major positive for Ohio State fans. The Ole Miss transfer is the leading rusher for Ohio State this season with 491 yards and six touchdowns on 71 carries. He forms half of one of the best backfield duos in the nation alongside TreVeyon Henderson, who is averaging more than eight yards per carry through six games.
Judkins struggled to find success against Oregon on Saturday, finishing with just 23 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. Henderson was the much more efficient back in this specific matchup, tallying 87 yards on just 10 rushes.
Ohio State football has no reason to panic after Oregon loss
Despite taking a tough loss against Oregon in conference play, Ohio State is going to be just fine. It was clear while watching the game that this was a matchup between two absolute heavyweights and two teams that will be right in the think of the race for the Big Ten Championship and the National Championship.
Ohio State's defense is still elite at all levels with NFL talent all over the field. Cornerback Denzel Burke had an ugly night against the Ducks, but he is still one of the top defensive backs in the Big Ten, and Davison Igbinosun is a shutdown corner on the other side. Oregon's offense is easily the most talented, efficient unit on Ohio State's schedule, so it should be able to shut down most of their opponents the rest of the way.
Offensively, Will Howard is catching a lot of heat for his clock management blunder at the end of the game. However, that one play has overshadowed what was an excellent performance for the Kansas State transfer in a very hostile environment against an elite team. Howard finished the game 28-for-35 with 326 yards and three total touchdowns and was consistently able to move the ball through the air.
This loss is understandably tough to take, especially considering Ryan Day's troubling record against top five opponents, but there's no negative takeaway from this loss for an Ohio State team that will be right in the mix for the rest of the season.
