Ohio State Buckeyes receive promising injury news with a starter set to return against Penn State

Saturday’s game against the Penn State Nittany Lions doesn’t carry quite the same importance it once did for the Ohio State Buckeyes. While it remains a must-win for the Buckeyes to keep their Big Ten title hopes alive, it won’t be the No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup many anticipated earlier in the season.

Penn State enters the game with four losses and recently fired head coach James Franklin as a result. Starting quarterback Drew Allar is out for the season, and the biggest storyline now is Ohio State facing its former defensive coordinator, Jim Knowles. Coming off their bye week, the Buckeyes appear to be as healthy as they could hope for at this point in the year.

CB Lorenzo Styles set to return vs. Penn State

“Expecting him to play in the game,” head coach Ryan Day said Wednesday. “He’s had a good week of practice, and he’s just now getting off the field today, but everything looks good. So we’re excited to have him back.”

Styles has been sidelined with an undisclosed injury since Ohio State’s last home game against Minnesota on Nov. 8. The senior cornerback could have suited up against Wisconsin two weeks ago in an emergency situation, but the Buckeyes cruised to a 34–0 win and didn’t need him. In his absence, Ohio State turned to Jermaine Mathews Jr. in the slot — where Styles typically plays — and started true freshman Devin Sanchez on the outside opposite Davison Igbinosun.

This season, Styles has recorded 10 tackles and one pass deflection. The brother of linebacker Sonny Styles, he’s a key veteran presence in the secondary, now in his fifth season with the Buckeyes.

Ohio State will face Penn State quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, who has struggled since taking over for Allar. In his most recent outing, Grunkemeyer completed just 15 of 28 passes for 93 yards and two interceptions against Iowa. Ohio State’s top-ranked defense has another opportunity to deliver a strong performance against Penn State. With the Buckeyes as healthy as they’ve been all season, that alone is an underrated advantage heading into the weekend.

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