Austin Siereveld, Brandon Inniss out for Ohio State

The news landed a little before kickoff, and the biggest name on it was a lineman nobody had been talking about all week.

Pete Nakos

@PeteNakos

Ohio State will be without starting OT Austin Siereveld and WR Brandon Inniss against Maryland. t.co/NtuDoOyZgQ

Spencer Holbrook@SpencerHolbrook

Ohio State will be without multiple starters for the game against Maryland, including starting OT Austin Siereveld. WR Devin McCuin and DB Jay Timmons are game-time decisions. FULL REPORT: t.co/INMsgettH6 t.co/cjZ8jyOqVs

Siereveld being out is the surprise. He wasn't one of the names on the week's availability report. That report listed Inniss, right tackle Phillip Daniels, linebacker Christian Alliegro and freshman defensive lineman Khary Wilder as doubtful. So the Buckeyes now look like they're missing at least 1 starting tackle and maybe 2, depending on Daniels. When you're shuffling bodies up front, that's where things fall apart first.

Siereveld isn't some depth guy getting a spot start, either. The Lakota East product made his first career start against Akron in 2024 and started 7 games that season on the way to the national title. Losing a guy with that kind of experience in the middle of the year means the next man up is running with the starters on short notice.

Inniss has company on the list, and the receiver room is thinning out fast.

Pete Thamel

@PeteThamel

Ohio State with a handful of key contributors out. Also, WR Devin McCuin and CB Jay Timmons are game-time decisions.

McCuin and Timmons were both upgraded from questionable to probable on Friday's report, so calling them game-time decisions on Saturday is a small step back. If McCuin can't go, Ohio State is down 2 receivers behind Jeremiah Smith, and some young guys get thrown in. Timmons is a freshman in the secondary, so the defense has its own depth question too.

The schedule helps. Ohio State comes in 4-1 and ranked 5th, and Maryland is as soft a landing as you get in the Big Ten for a banged-up roster. Still, this is the first time all season the Buckeyes have had real injuries at several key spots at once.

Watch the right side of the line early. If Maryland gets pressure off the edge, that's Siereveld's absence showing up. If the line holds and the backup receivers catch everything thrown their way, Ohio State gets through a messy week unhurt and gets some of these guys back for the games that actually decide the season.