Chris Olave, Drue Chrisman to miss Big Ten Championship game for Ohio State

Ohio State will play for the Big Ten championship Saturday without one of its best players.

Chris Olave is among the players unavailable according to the schools’ availability report published prior to the game.

A junior receiver, Olave is second in the conference in receiving yards at 105.2, trailing only teammate and fellow All-Big Ten first-teamer Garrett Wilson.

Another starter, safety Marcus Hooker, is listed as a game-time decision but did not take part in warmups.

On the bright side, starting offensive linemen Josh Myers, Nicholas Petit-Frere and Thayer Munford were back on the field for warmups after missing Ohio State’s last game.

Major contributors joining Olave on the unavailable list — which does not specify the reason anyone is out be it injury, COVID-19 positive test or something else — are punter Drue Chrisman, linebacker Baron Browning, defensive linemen Tyler Friday and Javontae Jean-Baptiste.

Browning has started has started all five games this season, but Ohio State has a deep linebacker rotation including fellow seniors Pete Werner, Tuf Borland and Justin Hilliard. Browning is second on the team with 23 tackles.

Chrisman made the All-Big Ten second team this season after averaging 45.1 yards on 18 punts and landing eight inside the 20.

Ohio State does not publish a depth chart this season, but the other punters on the roster are Zach Hoover, a senior from Toledo Central Catholic, and Michael O’Shaughnessy, a redshirt freshman from New Albany.

Others who will miss the game against Northwestern are receivers Jaxson Smith-Njigba, Jaylen Harris and Chris Booker, running back Steele Chambers, defensive linemen Jacolbe Cowan and Zaid Hamdan, reserve quarterbacks Gunnar Hoak and Jagger Laroe, linebackers Cade Kacherski, Ben Schmiesing and Tommy Eichenberg, tight end Corey Rau, offensive lineman Ryan Smith and defensive backs Bryson Shaw, Alec Taylor, Kourt Williams and Cam Brown.

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