The Ohio State Buckeyes boast two of the most dominant wide receivers in college football: sophomore Jeremiah Smith and junior Carnell Tate. The Big Ten Network (BTN) highlighted this dynamic duo early and often during its broadcast of Saturday afternoon’s game between Ohio State and Purdue.
BTN commentators Jeff Levering and Jake Butt extensively discussed the Buckeyes’ high-profile offense throughout the first quarter and a half, placing particular emphasis on Smith and Tate’s outstanding production. Their coverage included a graphics package comparing the pair to previous Buckeye receiving duos such as Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, as well as Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka.
The commentators also pointed out how having both receivers on the field opened opportunities for others, like Max Klare, who made a long catch in the first quarter. However, there was one significant oversight: Carnell Tate was never actually on the field.
Despite not being listed on the team’s injury report and participating in warmups, Tate never took the field during the game. Instead, he stood on the sideline without his helmet. Strikingly, BTN seemed oblivious to his absence, failing to acknowledge it until well into the second quarter.
While Jeremiah Smith is the bigger name of the Ohio State receiver duo, Tate is certainly a star in his own right. Mock drafts project him as a potential top-five pick in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft. This made the commentators’ failure to notice his absence even more glaring, and fans quickly pointed out the mistake.
Levering and Butt finally recognized Tate’s absence midway through the second quarter. Soon after, sideline reporter Brooke Fletcher provided an update, explaining that Tate felt “tight” during warmups and that the team had decided to hold him out of the game as a precaution.
Ohio State coach Ryan Day later confirmed this during a halftime interview on the broadcast:
“He’s not gonna play. We’re gonna hold him. It was kind of a thing before the game we just didn’t feel comfortable putting him out there, so you won’t see him in the second half,” Day said.
While fans eventually received clarity on Tate’s absence, it was puzzling that the broadcast team overlooked such a high-profile player being off the field for so long.
https://awfulannouncing.com/college-football/big-ten-network-carnell-tate-ohio-state-buckeyes-injury-status.html
