Ohio State coach Ryan Day said the Buckeyes received a response from the Big Ten on Northwestern safety Robert Fitzgerald’s ankle-twisting tackle of star freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith.
Following practice on Wednesday night, Day said the conference acknowledged Fitzgerald’s late tackle during last week’s win over the Wildcats at Wrigley Field should have drawn a penalty.
“I haven’t heard much back other than it should have been a foul,” Day said. “I know there’s still some conversation.”
Day had said the previous day that the Buckeyes submitted the play to the conference for review.
Fitzgerald twisted Smith’s left ankle at the end of his catch and run for 68 yards during the third quarter. It did not sideline Smith, but resulted in him getting his ankle taped.
Smith, who caught four passes for 100 yards at Northwestern, is expected to be available for this week’s top-five matchup against Indiana.
Day said Smith is “good to go” against the Hoosiers, and Smith was seen leaving practice in uniform on Wednesday.
A semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award as the top receiver in college football, Smith has 49 receptions for 865 yards and nine touchdowns in 10 games.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @joeyrkaufman or email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com.
